Performer: Tomaš Juhás

In Brno, Janáček's home, at the theatre and festival that bear his name, Jenůfa receives a performance with all the musical and dramatic intensity you might wish for.

Although professing a great admiration for Mascagni and Cavalleria rusticana in particular, Janáček’s concept of Slavic verismo is diametrically different.

Il Trovatore has doggedly survived in opera’s hit charts despite dispensing generous quantities of hair-raising as well as eyebrow-raising content. Verdi’s music is intoxicating, of course, but there is something to this work that makes it accessible beyond reasoning.