Opera in the Twentieth Century

[Guido]

Thanks for this - all very interesting. Yes Osud is 1907 which is long before his infatuation with Kamila and, though a different Kamila inspired this story. I'd have to ask Luke to clear this up, but my feeling is that it probably is in some way autobiographical as well - so many of his works are and at this time Olga was being commemorated in Jenufa, On an Overgrown path, and then later in In the Mists...

[Wendell_E]

By the way, talking of exceptionally successful Janacek productions, I was lucky enough to see the Bastille producion of VIXEN two years ago, and it's a remarkable achievement.  I can understand how grown-up people might initially be wary of an opera about badgers and chickens, but the whole forest world came to vibrant life in this production.  With astonishing generosity they put a stream of the entire opera on their website, free-to-view for a month   Sadly it's now expired - perhaps they might one day make it available again?   Magical stuff, in the very best sense   There is a bit of the same production available on YouTube, but illicitly filmed at waist height on a jerky handheld camera in a balcony miles above the stage...  which plays such havoc with the results that they are barely worth watching.  The Bastille's marketing clip is better filmed, using material from the internet video stream, and at least gives an idea of what the show looked like

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqCYGsa8Km8

It's available on DVD: http://www.amazon.com/Janacek-Cunning-Little-Elena-Tsallagova/dp/B001U1L9O4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1278872425&sr=1-1

[False_Dmitry]

It's available on DVD: http://www.amazon.com/Janacek-Cunning-Little-Elena-Tsallagova/dp/B001U1L9O4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1278872425&sr=1-1

By happy coincidence the opening scene is uploaded on the Bastille Opera again - only a clip, but you can get an idea of the stupendous level of work that's gone into this production.  Just look at the costumes, mime-work and acting going on as the piece opens.  I'm deeply envious

http://www.operadeparis.fr/cns11/live/onp/