A banner Bystrouška in Prague: The Cunning Little Vixen

Jarmila Balážová and Elena Tsallagova

Jakub Hrůša

The Czech Philharmonic, cast and choruses

By Frank Kuznik, 12 April 2024

Loading, please wait...

See full listing

“Elena Tsallagova... giving the vixen a tart personality, along with a gorgeous, supple voice”

Reviewed at Rudolfinum: Dvořák Hall, Prague on 11 April 2024

Janáček, The Cunning Little Vixen (Concert performance)

Jakub Hrůša, Conductor

Czech Philharmonic

Czech Philharmonic Choir of Brno

Jan Martiník, Forester

Elena Tsallagova, Vixen

Kateřina Kněžíková, Fox

Jiří Sulženko, Parson, Badger

Ondřej Koplík, Schoolmaster, Mosquito

Jarmila Balážová, Lapák

Jiří Brückler, Harašta

Prague Philharmonic Children's Choir

Rossini's Cenerentola proves great fun in Adelaide

Sandra Bowdler, 7th May

Neil Armfield's production for State Opera South Australia combines a sparkling night of entertainment with first class musical values.

****1

Werther oozes quiet despair in new Canadian Opera Company staging

John Gilks, 7th May

Excellent performances cannot turn a conventional production of Massenet’s Werther into a dramatic experience for the 21st century.

***11

Peter Grimes drops anchor again at The Royal Opera

Christopher Woodley, 5th May

Allan Clayton and Sir Bryn Terfel lead a strong cast in a revival of Deborah Warner's dark staging of Britten's signature work at Covent Garden.

****1

The early flowering of opera: a fragrant L’Orfeo at Schwetzingen

Mengguang Huang, 3rd May

Markus Bothe’s Botticelli-inspired production fuses tableau vivant aesthetics with Jörg Halubek’s surgical musical precision, offering a peerless, vivid tribute to the fragrant dawn of opera.

****1

Two funerals and a bedding at the Linbury Theatre

Eleanor Knight, 1st May

Tales of love and loss as operas by Elena Langer, Charlotte Bray and Elizabeth Maconchy form a varied triple bill in this showcase for The Royal Opera’s Jette Parker Artists.

****1

Boston Doodle Dandy: Boston Lyric Opera presents La Fille du régiment

Kevin Wells, 1st May

Very few singers can hold an audience in the palm of their hand the way Brenda Rae as Marie does in this rollicking frolic.

****1

More reviews...

Frank Kuznik

Frank Kuznik is the former Editor-in-Chief and Culture Editor of The Prague Post, Central Europe’s premier English-language weekly newspaper. He currently divides his time between Prague and his hometown in the US, Cleveland, where he covers northeast Ohio's dynamic classical music scene. In Prague he is an habitué of the Rudolfinum, National Theater, State Opera and other storied classical music venues, and an unabashed fan of Czech music.

A banner Bystrouška in Prague: Jakub Hrůša conducts The Cunning Little Vixen