Welcome students and teachers to Opera Online. This week we will look the The Curtis Institute's production of Leoš Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen which is being presented in association with Kimmel Center Presents. Creating a world where humans and creatures of the forest mingle together, Janáček's opera explores the natural cycle of life. Today, we’ll start by taking a look at two different interpretations of the opera.Video Clip of the Week:
Janáček’s original inspiration for The Cunning Little Vixen was a comic strip by Rudolf Tesnohlídek called "Vixen Sharp-Ears". The following two videoclips are excerpts from the first act. In this scene we are introduced to the young Vixen and the old Forester. By chasing a frog Vixen wakes the napping Forester and is captured by him. The first clip is an English adaption of The Cunning Little Vixen. Like Janáček’s original inspiration, the director, Geoff Dunbar, decided to use animation to illustrate the opera. The second video clip is an excerpt from a live production of the opera. How are the video clips similar? How are they different? Which interpretation do you like the best?
2003 Animated TV Movie
The original opera scene (no English translation)
Website of the Week:
Check out the two women who will be playing the Vixen! Elizabeth Reiter and Elizabeth Zharoff are students at the Curtis Insitute of Music. Both sopranos are no stranger to the Opera Company of Philadelphia stage. Click on their links to see their bios and listen to clips of other performances!
Join us for A Taste of Opera:
If you want to learn more about Janáček's Vixen, then join us for A Taste of Opera, a free event on Sunday, March 13th at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA). You'll get to meet sopranos Elizabeth Zharoff and Allison Sanders, who sing the roles of the Vixen and the Fox. They'll sing a little and talk about this opera, their careers, learning an opera in Czech, and more! PAFA is located at 128 N. Broad Street at the intersection of Broad and Cherry Streets in Philadelphia. The event is from 2-3 pm. After the event, you can explore PAFA's art galleries absolutely free!
Opera on the Air:
On Saturday, March 5 at 1 pm, WRTI will be broadcasting The Metropolitan Opera's production of Gioachino Rossini's Armida. Conducted by Riccardo Frizza, this opera will feature Soprano Renée Fleming as Armida, Lawrence Brownlee as Rinaldo, and John Osborn as Gernando.
Until next week!
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