Music: Leoš Janáček
Libretto: Leoš Janáček
Writer: Rudolf Těsnohlídek
Director: Sir David Pountney
Conductor: Andrew Gourlay
At a time of political tension in a newly created Czechoslovakia, Leoš Janáček, in the later years of his life, chose not to draw on a great tragedy for the subject matter of The Cunning Little Vixen, but a comic strip folk tale by RudolfTěsnohlídek that had been serialised in a Czech newspaper. A long-time fan of folklore, the composer brought together this rather quaint tale together with a folk music inspired score to create this charming light opera. Of course, no tale of woodland creatures is ever really about woodland creatures. While The Cunning Little Vixen can be enjoyed for its frivolity and gentle humour, it’s also a musing on the circle of life, the fragility of living creatures, and the joy and pain of love.
Vixen Sharp-Ears (Elin Pritchard) is a sassy little vixen whose early years in captivity at the hands of the Forester (James Rutherford) have made her wary of humans and independent. But when a handsome and charming fox (Heather Lowe) appears in the wood, her head is turned. It’s not long before she’s taken him home to her den, followed by a swift wedding (to stop the woodland creatures’ gossip). Several cubs later, life is rather blissful, until the Poacher Harašta (Callum Thorpe) turns up and shoots Sharp-Ears while she’s trying to protect her family.
This English translation production, directed by Sir David Pountney, started life at the 1980 Edinburgh Festival, produced by Scottish Opera. It’s a successful mix of traditional and contemporary, and not only does it have a message about animal rights, it’s packed with liberal ideals and feminism that has its roots in Janáček’s original libretto.
Harmonious woodland romances are contrasted with the complicated and often antagonistic human ones. The humans in the story are either coupled and unhappy or single and lonely. The Forester and his two drinking pals, the Parson (Henry Waddington) and the Schoolmaster (Paul Nilon) are all in love with the same woman, the unseen Terynka. It’s a light touch comment on the never-satisfied nature of humanity and its separation from the rest of the animal kingdom.
Visually the production is stunning, with marvellous costumes (Maria Björnson). Dancer dragonflies shimmer in silver, hens strut in bright red shoes, and a frog wears a rain hat. Both the costumes and the choreography (Elaine Tyler-Hall) are cleverly anthropomorphic. A hare, played brilliantly by a child performer (either Siena Christou or Orla Graham – it’s not clear from the cast list), hops about eating plants with her hands, which seems perfectly right in this magical world.
The set, also by Björnson is glorious to look at with its undulating landscape and natural colours, but seems a bit logistically problematic. While it affords a lot of slapstick falling over and rolling down hills as part of the story, there’s also times when the precariousness of a dancer trying to perform an arabesque on an uneven surface just makes an audience anxious. The set also splits down the middle, the space between becoming first the room where the Forester keeps the Vixen and subsequently the local bar, but the separation and re-setting is a clunky manoeuvre. Having said that, the changing seasons are dealt with inventively. Umbrellas become spring flowers, a silk sheet forms a cover of snow and scatter cushions evoke fallen autumn leaves. The challenges with the set, though, are just about overcome through Sir David Pountney’s slick direction. The characters inhabit every inch of the space. Visually every scene has the richness of a Kit Williams illustration (for those who remember The Butterfly Ball), especially when everyone’s on stage. The wedding scene is glorious for its animation, as is the vixen’s death scene for its perfect stillness.
Performances are strong throughout, from the operatic leads to the children. Elin Pritchard’s vixen is a triumph vocally and in her physical performance. She creates a character that’s feisty and full of fun. James Rutherford’s Forester is bullish and dour, in perfect preparation for his epiphany at the end of the story. Callum Thorpe plays the Poacher as a suitably weaselly, but not pantomimic, baddy.
The Cunning Little Vixen is a strange opera, and this Opera North production doesn’t shy away from its strangeness. It all makes for a delightful night at the theatre. Oh, and the music. The music is tremendous.
Runs until 8 March 2023
The Reviews Hub score
delightfully strange
