Stay in the Loop
BSR publishes on a weekly schedule, with an email newsletter every Wednesday and Thursday morning. There’s no paywall, and subscribing is always free.
If we could talk to the animals
Curtis Opera's 'Cunning Little Vixen'
Steve Cohen
Janácek's The Cunning Little Vixen is so brimful with melodies and lush orchestration that it ought to be part of the standard operatic repertoire.
But that won't happen. This opera is hard to present. For one thing, it has too many people, animals and children. For another, it's an allegory about mankind's disregard for those around us, and a philosophical reflection on the cycle of life and death. If it's true, as the playwright George S. Kaufman once observed, that "Satire is what closes on Saturday night," then philosophical allegories would close on Friday afternoon. They're not what mass audiences want to see.
The Czech composer LeoÅ¡ Janácek composed this unusual piece, also called The Adventures of Vixen Sharp-Ears, in 1921. He based it on a newspaper comic strip about a young female fox that's captured by a gamekeeper. She escapes, has a family, and then is shot by a poacher. Meanwhile, the human protagonists sing about their lost youth and old age.
It worked for Disney
Vixen fits in the best tradition of Aesop, Mother Goose, Beatrix Potter, Disney. The accompanying vocal and instrumental music is probably Janácek's best, while the story elements do create some confusion.
Curtis Institute's recent production displayed many excellent voices, and conductor Corrado Rovaris drew beautiful playing from the Curtis Symphony Orchestra. Emma Griffin's direction was charming, even if it failed to fully identify and differentiate each of the many characters.
The sets by Laura Jellinek transformed what's specified as a forest into an indoor room with small windows. Economical, perhaps, but not ideal.
Lesson of My Fair Lady
Specifically identifying people (or animals) is a task that's flubbed by many experienced playwrights and directors. Alan Jay Lerner, an exception, noted that when the romantic baritone made his second appearance in My Fair Lady, he had to tell the door servant: "Tell her I am Freddy Eynsford-Hill, and remind her that I'm the chap she met at the Ascot Race this afternoon." Lerner's reminder was intended not so much for Eliza Doolittle as for the audience.
Curtis used alternate casts. On opening night (March 16) as well as the March 20 matinee that I attended, Brandon Cedel was an appealing Forester while Elizabeth Reiter was a delightful Vixen. Other outstanding singers included Adam Frandsen, Kitsren MacKinnon, Shir Rozzen, Jarrett Ott, Jazimina MacNeil and Meredith LaBouff. Members of the Pennsylvania Girlchoir abetted the Curtis singers.
But that won't happen. This opera is hard to present. For one thing, it has too many people, animals and children. For another, it's an allegory about mankind's disregard for those around us, and a philosophical reflection on the cycle of life and death. If it's true, as the playwright George S. Kaufman once observed, that "Satire is what closes on Saturday night," then philosophical allegories would close on Friday afternoon. They're not what mass audiences want to see.
The Czech composer LeoÅ¡ Janácek composed this unusual piece, also called The Adventures of Vixen Sharp-Ears, in 1921. He based it on a newspaper comic strip about a young female fox that's captured by a gamekeeper. She escapes, has a family, and then is shot by a poacher. Meanwhile, the human protagonists sing about their lost youth and old age.
It worked for Disney
Vixen fits in the best tradition of Aesop, Mother Goose, Beatrix Potter, Disney. The accompanying vocal and instrumental music is probably Janácek's best, while the story elements do create some confusion.
Curtis Institute's recent production displayed many excellent voices, and conductor Corrado Rovaris drew beautiful playing from the Curtis Symphony Orchestra. Emma Griffin's direction was charming, even if it failed to fully identify and differentiate each of the many characters.
The sets by Laura Jellinek transformed what's specified as a forest into an indoor room with small windows. Economical, perhaps, but not ideal.
Lesson of My Fair Lady
Specifically identifying people (or animals) is a task that's flubbed by many experienced playwrights and directors. Alan Jay Lerner, an exception, noted that when the romantic baritone made his second appearance in My Fair Lady, he had to tell the door servant: "Tell her I am Freddy Eynsford-Hill, and remind her that I'm the chap she met at the Ascot Race this afternoon." Lerner's reminder was intended not so much for Eliza Doolittle as for the audience.
Curtis used alternate casts. On opening night (March 16) as well as the March 20 matinee that I attended, Brandon Cedel was an appealing Forester while Elizabeth Reiter was a delightful Vixen. Other outstanding singers included Adam Frandsen, Kitsren MacKinnon, Shir Rozzen, Jarrett Ott, Jazimina MacNeil and Meredith LaBouff. Members of the Pennsylvania Girlchoir abetted the Curtis singers.
What, When, Where
The Cunning Little Vixen. Opera by LeoÅ¡ Janácek; Emma Griffin directed; Corrado Rovaris, conductor. Curtis Opera Theatre production March 16-20 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. www.curtis.edu.
Sign up for our newsletter
All of the week's new articles, all in one place. Sign up for the free weekly BSR newsletters, and don't miss a conversation.
