Organization

Singer

Baritone

Jukka Rasilainen

Forester

Contralto

Michèle Lagrange

Forester's wife

Tenor

David Kuebler

Schoolmaster

Bass

Roland Bracht

Priest

Paul Gay

Harasta

Soprano

Christine Schäfer

The Fox Zlatohrbitek

Hannah Esther Minutillo

Conductor

Dennis Russell Davies

Stage director

André Engel

Costume designer

Elizabeth Neumuller

Set designer

Nicky Rieti

Elena Tsallagova

Cunning Vixen

Mezzo-soprano

Letitia Singleton

Paul Crémazy

Mosquito

Xenia Fenice d'Ambrosio

Woodpecker

Slawomir Szychowiak

Badger

Natacha Finette-Constantin

Chocholka

Elisa Cenni

Nicolas Marie

Pasek

Anne-Sophie Ducret

Mrs. Paskova

Rooster

Lighting designer

André Diot

Choreographer

Françoise Grès

Dramaturge

Dominique Muller

Chorus master

Alessandro Di Stefano

Opéra National de Paris

Others

Choeur d’enfants de l’Opéra national de Paris

Chœur de l’Opéra national de Paris

Orchestre de Chambre de Paris

Maîtrise des Hauts-de-Seine

Orchestra

Paris Opera Orchestra

Czech

Příhody lišky Bystroušky -  (The Cunning Little Vixen)

Paris

France

PROGRAM
The Little Cunning Vixen, by Leoš Janáček

Recording: January 1 2008 - Opéra National de Paris
Director: Don Kent
Duration: 01:41

Opéra Bastille

The Cunning Little Vixen by Leoš Janáček, from Opéra national de Paris (Opéra Bastille), 2008. Directed by Don Kent, conductor Dennis Russel Davies. Starring Elena Tsallagova; Jukka Rasilainen; Michèle Lagrange; David Kuebler; Roland Bracht; Paul Gay; Hannah Esther Minutillo; Hauts-de-Seine Children’s Choir; Opéra National de Paris Children’s Choir.

Elusive and always insolently free, even when the forester chains her up and the schoolmaster in his inevitable cups believes he is pursuing Terynka, this little vixen is a will-o'-the-wisp whose flashing russet, wherever it blazes, revives the smart of their ancient desires and departed loves in the hearts of men. In a community living as close to the natural state and its prodigies as it is imaginable to be, no other creature better personifies the life-force which demands that we accept the implacable cycle of Nature, encompassed between the extremities of birth and death.

Leoš Janáček's The Cunning Little Vixen 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.

This staging delivers a highly imaginative take on Janáček's fable about human relationships. The scenery is vivid and colorful, and the soloists perform even the smallest motifs with precision and transparency, bringing the folklore elements of the score to life.

Příhody lišky Bystroušky Janáček

Public

The Cunning Little Vixen

Approved

Production booklet

Further reading