How’s this for a dream date: Janáček done by a fellow Moravian with National Theatre singers, the State Opera Chorus and the Czech Republic’s flagship orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic. Even amid the cornucopia of the Year of Czech Music, that’s a hot ticket. And it more than lived up to its promise, with Jakub Hrůša leading an enthralling concert performance of The Cunning Little Vixen for a packed house at the Rudolfinum. There was a crackle of anticipation in the air that helped ignite musicians giving their all for a milestone in modern music which is celebrating its centenary this year.
Hrůša’s Moravian roots were clear in his deft handling of the score, seamlessly blending the folk rhythms, symphonic passages, dance sequences and flood of details into a compelling narrative. Strings shimmered, brass barked and woodwinds sang in the pictures that Hrůša painted, creating a vivid backdrop for the singers. Even more impressive was an ineffable quality in the music, a sense of time and place and an atmosphere that evoked not just a setting, but a way of life and the cycles of nature that provide the thematic underpinning for the opera.
The only non-Czech member of the cast turned out to be one of the strongest – Russian soprano Elena Tsallagova, who has sung the title role in Paris and Munich. She brought animated acting to her performance, giving the vixen a tart personality, along with a gorgeous, supple voice equally good at capturing youthful impertinence and romantic longing. A flounced orange top suggesting an animal’s bristly fur added a touch of whimsy to her look and appeal.
Singers well-versed in Czech repertoire lent depth and authenticity to the performance, starting with Svatopluk Sem as the Forester. Sem took vocal command of the stage from the opening scene under the tree and never looked back, his pointed baritone dominating the sound. Soprano Kateřina Kněžíková was an endearing Zlatohřbítek (Bystrouška’s mate), wooing the vixen in round, golden tones. Tenor Jaroslav Březina (Schoolmaster) and bass Jiří Sulženko (Parson) provided delightful character sketches, as well as voices to match Sem’s in their melancholy trio in the third act.
The smaller roles (bass Jiří Brückler as Harašta the poacher, mezzo Jarmila Vantuchová as the Dog) held up well, though the real charm of the remaining cast was in the ensembles. Members of the Prague Philharmonic Children’s Choir offered spirited forest and barnyard animals, including the very young vixen, and a lustrous complement to the adult choir in the third act. Their counterparts in the State Opera Choir, who bring an energetic edge to everything they do, were particularly good in the wordless, impressionistic choral passages of the finale, which positively glowed.
Along with radiant backing for the singers, the orchestra provided fiery lines for the action sequences – the vixen being captured, the calamity of her tragic end. No less engaging were the interludes, which gave Hrůša an opportunity to craft very fine details, especially in the woodwinds, highlighting the vivid colors that mimic animal sounds. He showed not only a fine feel for the material, but expertise in how to pace an opera, telling a taut story while giving both the music and singers room to breathe.
Long, enthusiastic applause capped a grand birthday celebration – and a brilliant tribute to a seminal figure in Czech music. As he finally left the stage, Hrůša’s parting gesture to the score said it all.
