The author's absolute masterpiece, The Cunning Little Vixen speaks of nature and the circle of life. It’s a unique piece set in an idyllic forest land, a joyous fable of animals with a sad ending. There is little theatricality in this naturalist description of alarming freshness and innocence which sees the singers transformed into animals: foxes, frogs, mosquitos, dogs, crickets, grasshoppers, hens and cockerels. Janáček had long observed nature in order to compose this unique work where evocative power is overcharged with tenderness.
Sir Simon Rattle had known this work since his youth when he played the celesta part during a student production at the Royal Academy of Music in which he also directed the backstage choir. An experience that changed his life so much that he desired to direct operas for himself. Recorded during two evening performances at the Barbican Centre in London in 2019, The Cunning Little Vixen was presented in a semi-theatrical version by Peter Sellars with an international distribution in which each made an effort to master the difficult Czech language with a subtle musicality that closely adheres to the rhythm and accentuation.
Sir Simon Rattle directs this opera with a joyous adolescence, bringing out a million and one details from this glittering score. Generously, the editor includes a complimentary offering, one of the most extraordinary of Janáček’s masterpieces, the radiant Sinfonietta in which the sumptuous initial fanfares glorify the town of Brno in which the composer was born. © François Hudry/Qobuz