In any normal cast Mattila’s decay from rigid authority to howling animal, voice flayed down to sinew and rasp, would set her apart, but here she’s just the disintegrating centre of a flawless ensemble cast – from Elena Zilio’s Grandmother, held together by dignity and black velvet, and Nicky Spence’s profoundly moving Laca, rash and loving and radiantly sung, to Saimir Pirgu’s strutting Steva. A co-commission with Britten Pears Arts, directed by Katie Mitchell, it will. It has been over 20 years since we had a new Jenůfa at Covent Garden.Ī generation’s gap that has transformed 2001’s searing Jenůfa – the towering Finnish soprano Karita Mattila – into Kostelnicka, the heroine’s church-elder stepmother, whose fear and pride drive the murder of the illegitimate baby that’s still the most shocking act in a repertoire full of horrors. This new opera, by composer Laura Bowler and librettist Laura Lomas, gets its world premiere at the Linbury Theatre. Hungarian conductor Henrik Nánási conducts Asmik Grigorian in her much-anticipated Royal Opera House debut in the title role, alongside Karita Mattila as the Kostelnička and a star cast.Finnish soprano Karita Mattila as Kostelnicka in JenůfaĬaught between half-brothers Steva and Laca, we see her most private encounters played out in relation to the group – even a disfiguring knifing isn’t a human tragedy so much as a deviation from uniformity, quickly concealed behind a modesty-curtain of women. With music inspired by the traditional folk melodies of his native Moravia, Janáček’s score movingly captures Jenůfa’s progression from hope to despair to eventual radiant happiness, while her stepmother, the Kostelnička, is one of opera’s most complex maternal figures. Royal Opera House, Bow Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 9DD 28 Sep 21 12 Oct 21, Five performances, start times vary. Die DVD Leos Janacek: Jenufa jetzt portofrei für 22,99 Euro kaufen. Two courageous women struggle for fulfilment against the backdrop of a claustrophobic rural community. Guth, however, doesn’t seem to trust the audience to appreciate this, claiming that he wants us ‘to realize the universality of the story and making that transparently clear is our aim’. Royal Opera House Covent Garden OrchestraĪward-winning director Claus Guth’s acclaimed production of Jenůfa is a striking representation of an oppressed society ‘infused with heart-warming humanity’ (Evening Standard ★★★★★) Saimir Pirgu (Tenor), Nicky Spence (Tenor), Asmik Grigorian (Soprano), Elena Zilio (Mezzo-Soprano), David Stout (Tenor), Karita Mattila (Soprano)

Royal opera house jenufa