Read what people have to say about Jenůfa
Review by Julian Hopkins
Here we go again with more updating. David Alden's 2006 production of Leoš Janácek's Jenůfa at the English National Opera is set not in the nineteenth century Moravian village as written, but in an unidentified small industrial town in Eastern Europe in the 1950s, in the communist era. The mill in the village, specifically mentioned in the libretto, becomes a welding factory and traditional Czech-style costumes in the Act III wedding scene mix uneasily with drab utilitarian clothes worn elsewhere; Števa, the village lothario, makes his drunken entrance on a flashy motorbike wearing modern leathers. The scenic design is also inconsistent, the more so as the opera progresses; after an unremarkable Act I setting outside the factory, Act II is played in a claustrophic distorted and dilapidated cottage interior with no furniture and windows covered in brown paper. The same set in Act III is half destroyed by villagers as news of Kostelnicka's murder of Jenůfa's baby becomes known, but it seems to self-destruct simultaneously as walls move and the ceiling partially opens up. These distractions diminished the searing impact of the score and the performances of the principals.
Having dealt with most of the negatives in this first revival of the production (which won awards when first seen), it has to be acknowledged that the performance from a purely musical point of view was one of ENO's more creditable efforts. The majority of the singers bought integrity and dramatic realism to this disturbing opera.
Written over a period of several years, Jenůfa was premiered in Brno in 1904, in an unsatisfactory production with minimal numbers of musicians in the orchestra, and after various changes were made was ultimately given a full premiere at the Prague National Theatre in 1916. Basing his libretto on a play by Gabriela Preissová, Her Stepdaughter (Její Pastorkyna), Janácek composed the opera while developing his distinctive musical language from the customary set pieces of arias, duets and ensembles to a form of sung speech, pre-dating the techniques of Berg and Britten. The music of Jenůfa is laced with snippets of Moravian folk tunes, interwoven into the score in a way that reflects the traditional customs that are the villagers' heritage. The only structural exception is the prayer that Jenůfa sings before the altar in Act II, which is a beautiful aria in its own right.
The opera was sung in English, in a translation by Otakar Kraus and Edward Downes, using the Brno edition of the score revised by Charles Mackerras and John Tyrell. This reviewer for one would have much preferred to have heard the performance in Czech, but the ENO persists in staging operas in English - if WNO and Scottish Opera can perform in the original language, why not ENO? It seems almost perverse, and it denies audiences at the Coliseum the opportunity to hear these masterpieces as they were envisaged and written by their composers, especially when - as in the case of Jenůfa - Janácek wrote both the words and music, and he worked hard to achieve a particular vocal sound.
This particular ENO performance featured the British soprano Amanda Roocroft as Jenůfa, reprising the role she played in the original production. It was a symathetic, accomplished portrayal, with secure singing and convincing acting. Only the notes in her lower register failed to come across, and - as was the case with some other members of the cast - her English diction was disappointingly poor. The young American mezzo-soprano Michaela Martens was a strong Kostelnicka - she tended to shout the ends of some of her most dramatic phrases, which undermined the musical integrity of her performance, and she seemed too immature in years, almost younger than her step-daughter, a possibility but improbable; Kostelnicka is supposed to be the matriach of the village, and as such she should be of a certain age. However, it was a promising performance from a relatively inexperienced singer.
The two tenor roles of Števa and Laca were sung by the Americans Tom Randle and Robert Brubaker. Števa is an unsympathetic role, and in this instance matters were not helped by the production which had his character played more oafishly than necessary - equally, in the first Act he was given silly dance choreography to perform whenever he was involved in the action. Randle was in fact the weakest of all the principals. Robert Brubaker, however, sang the cruelly testing part of Laca in a strong, virile tenor voice with suberb diction; his adoration of Jenůfa was compelling, moving and convincing. The last scene of reconciliation between him and Roocroft touched the heart.
The ENO orchestra distinguished itself, led by the young Norwegian conductor, Eivind Gullberg Jensen. It was an intense and committed performance of the score, played to the fullest imaginable dramatic effect. Some of the coordination between pit and stage was not as tight as it should have been, but Jensen provided intelligent support for his principals. The orchestra leader Janice Graham played the key violin solos beautifully.
It was a pity that these outstanding musical qualities were compromised somewhat by a misguided production concept and some inconsistent staging.
Review by George Barbour
Your production of Janacek's "Jenufa" is a travesty. For a "19th century Moravian Village" - read "Checkpoint Charlie". Please stop allowing these idiotic directors to keep getting away with this kind of trash.
Review by Hugh Macmahon
Saw Jenufa on Saturday night I though Jenufa was AMAZZZZZZING and I thought Laca was also just brilliant Many thanks to my opera partners for the night - Marzenka and Anna - who made it the night of nights!!
Review by Diane Pryde
Last night (21.03.09.) I attended the evening performance of Jenufa. The Ł20.00 tickets (normally Ł85.00 priced seats) from The Times offer presented an excellent opportunity to experience ENO and The Coliseum for the first time. I hoped that this trip would convert me to Opera, but sadly not. As a fan of musical theatre and ballet I looked forward to being moved or enthralled by the music, stage settings or performance, but sadly this was not to be.
The story line was like an episode of Eastenders set to music, only even more depressing if that was possible? At some points the show verged on amateurish, particularly when the ensemble was on stage, with clumsy movements, awful and awkward 'dancing?' by the town 'girls?' at the wedding made it look like a Generation Game skit.
The casting choices were at times odd, making it hard to believe the characters were real. The character of Laca resembled Compo from the Last of the Summer Wine in his Wellington boots and beanie hat stomping about the stage. Sets were dull and basic with little set changes. Costumes seemed to be drawn from a jumble sale and spanned a number of decades making it difficult to determine the era the story was set in.
My main feeling was that the orchestra outclassed, in every way, the singers and the overall production of the show. The conductor (Eivind Jensen) did a fine job of bringing out the best in what was an uninspiring score and was undoubtedly the only one deserving of the many bravos which came from the audience, leaving me quite bemused and wondering if I had been watching a different show from the others around me?
