Janacek: The Cunning Little Vixen (The Adventures of Vixen Sharp-Ears, Příhody lišky Bystroušky, Das schlaue Füchslein)

Sung in Czech with subtitles in English, French, German and Korean

The tale of a quick witted fox and her escape from confinement for a life in the forest that is by turns joyful and violent, The Cunning Little Vixen is an unsentimental parable of death and rebirth that lives through the instinctive and immediate world of nature, animal and human, which Janacek loved so much.

Melly Still's production for Glyndebourne finds the 'delicate balance between whimsy and mysticism' (Daily Telegraph) at the heart of the opera, which Vladimir Jurowski conducts 'with lustrous style: you can hear the birds in the score, feel the sunshine and thrill to the starlit night sky in the final scene' (Opera Today).

Running Time: 119 minutes

Subtitles EN/FR/DE/KR

Sound format: 2.0LPCD plus 5.1(5.0) DTS

Sung in Czech with subtitles in English, French, German and Korean.

The tale of a quick witted fox and her escape from confinement for a life in the forest that is by turns joyful and violent, The Cunning Little Vixen is an unsentimental parable of death and rebirth that lives through the instinctive and immediate world of nature, animal and human, which Janacek loved so much.

Melly Still's production for Glyndebourne finds the 'delicate balance between whimsy and mysticism' (Daily Telegraph) at the heart of the opera, which Vladimir Jurowski conducts 'with lustrous style: you can hear the birds in the score, feel the sunshine and thrill to the starlit night sky in the final scene' (Opera Today).

Running Time: 119 minutes

Subtitles EN/FR/DE/KR

Sound format: 2.0LPCD plus 5.1(5.0) DTS

Janacek's opera, inspired by the 1920s newspaper cartoon character, Vixen Sharpears, returns to its roots with a specially-adaped version of the score prepared by conductor Kent Nagano for the animated film by Geoff Dunbar.

NB: No subtitles

Staging and Artistic Direction - Walter Felsenstein

Film Direction and Script - Walter Felsenstein, Georg Mielke

Set Design - Rudolf Heinrich, Herbert Michel

German Translation by Walter Felsenstein, using the adaptation by Max Brod. Electronic recording (black-and-white) in the Studio Adlershof Berlin, 1965

Walter Felsenstein (1901–1975), founder and general director of the Komische Oper in Berlin, was one of the twentieth century’s greatest creative theatre directors, who played a hugely important role in the revival of opera as a theatrical art form. A brilliant artist who directed over 190 productions during the course of his career, he was equally committed to the works, their creators, the ensemble and the audience. “Vixen is a work I fell strangely in love with […]” said Felsenstein and created a fable with a distinctive dramatic structure. By directing this opera Felsenstein illustrated the amazing nature of the piece with all its philosophical depth and poetical power. His production of The Cunning Little Vixen is supported by the visionary setting of Rudolf Heinrich. The bright and energetic music of the Czech composer Leoš Janácek comprises humanity and offers pleasant warmth to the stories of gifted poet Rudolf Tesnohlídek. Felsenstein describes Leoš Janácek as “[…] a unique and inimitable phenomenon in the history of music.”

The production narrates the life story of a little fox. It contains a fi ne mix of cute and funny elements together with serious realism in one story. Two early performances were given on 11 and 12 May ahead of a guest performance by the Komische Oper in Prague. The premiere took place on 30 May 1956. The magnetic recording of this production by Deutscher Fernsehfunk took place in 1965 at the Adlershof studios. With its profound and touching story the Cunning Little Vixen is an opera like no other.

Special Features on DVD: Facsimile & texts, interviews, speech of Walter Felsenstein, piano reduction.

"Arthaus’s scholarly and imposing ‘Walter Felsenstein Edition’ offers a fascinating glimpse of an important moment in operatic history now vanished." The New York Times

Janácek's The Cunning Little Vixen, premièred in 1924, was described by its composer as "a comic opera with a sad ending". It is a profoundly poetic tale for which the composer wrote some wonderful, life-enriching music that is magnificently orchestrated. "His music is quite simply overwhelmingly moving," says André Engel, who, working with an outstanding cast, directed a new production of this fascinating work for the Paris Opéra. Elena Tsallagova gives a stirring portrayal of the Vixen, singing with sparkling tone and acting with athletic grace, but overall it is a genuine company achievement, staging by renowned director André Engel with delightful costumes by Elizabeth Neumuller.

BONUS: An encounter backstage at the Paris Opera with Gerard Mortier,André Engel & Elena Tsallagova.

"a visually enchanting production" Le Monde

"Elena Tsallagova made an irresistible vixen with her lovingly observed paw-work and pretty soprano…Some of the best singing of the evening came from Jukka Rasilainen as the all-important gamekeeper." Opera News