Leos Janácek

Canellakis & Janácek: The Cunning Fox

Programme

  • Leoš Janáček The sly little fox

Karina Canellakis, principal conductor of the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, once again delves into Leoš Janáček's operatic oeuvre. This year it is the turn of The Cunning Fox. Heartwarming.

Fairy tale?
We might wonder if the "youth opera" The Cunning Fox is actually a fairy tale, and also if it is a youth opera at all. All sorts of singing animals figure in the work, but at its center is the relationship between nature and man. A fox cannot be tamed, which is why it constantly challenges the human world. But the composer's message is that nature, like man himself, is subject to an eternal cycle of dying and being born.

The old Janáček as modernist
Janáček wrote The Cunning Little Fox in 1924, when he was 67 years old. His vocal language is partly based on Czech and Moravian speech rhythms, a technique the composer had learned in principle from Wagner and Mussorgsky as well as from Debussy. But despite the dialogue form, the lyrical-dramatic cantabile actually dominates the vocal sound, with grand symphonic sections. This, combined with strongly rhythmic passages and surprising changes of measure, makes him one of the great modernists of the years between the two world wars. Chief conductor Karina Canellakis continues her Janáček cycle with this heartwarming Little Fox.

Date:
Saturday 1 April 2023
Time:
14:15
Intermission:
No
Location:
The Royal Concertgebouw

Amsterdam
-
Large Hall

Performers

Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
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Karina Canellakis, chief conductor RFO
Karina Canellakis
Conductor
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Netherlands Radio Choir
Choir
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Children from the National Children's Choir and the National Boys' Choir
Choir
Martina Batič
Choir conductor
Irene Verburg
Choir conductor
Sally Matthews
Soprano, Bystrouska (the sly little fox)
Jana Kurucová
Mezzo-soprano, Lisák Zlatohrbítek (the fox Gold streak)
Iris van Wijnen
Mezzo-soprano, Paní revírníková (the forester's wife) / Sova (the owl)
James Kryshak
Tenor, Rechtor (the schoolmaster) / Komár (the mosquito) / Pásek (Pásek, the innkeeper)
Roland Wood
Baritone, Revírník (the forester)
Markus Eiche - photo Fumiaki Fujimoto
Markus Eiche
Baritone, Harasta (Harasta, the poacher)
James Platt
Bass, Farár (the pastor) / Jezevec (the badger)
Jeannette van Schaik
Soprano, Paní Pásková (Mrs. Pásková, the landlady) / Chocholka (the crested hen)
Esther Kuiper
Mezzo-soprano, Lapák (Lapák the dog) / Datel (the woodpecker)
Aylin Sezer
Soprano, Kohout (the rooster) / Sojka (the jay)
Syl Becht
Boy soprano, Pepík (Pepík, the forester's grandson) (soloist from the National Boys' Choir)
Arun Joosse
Boy Soprano, Frantík (Frantík, Pepík's friend) (soloist from the National Boys' Choir)
Mila Blindenbach
Boy soprano, Skokánek (the little frog) (soloist from the National Boys Choir)
Sifra de Jong
Girl soprano, Malinká Bystrouska (the young fox) (soloist from the National Children's Choir)
Jelle Wolfert
Boy soprano, Kobylka (the grasshopper) (soloist from the National Boys Choir)
Alphonsine Summerer
Girl soprano, Listicka (the fox cub) (soloist from the National Children's Choir)
Philaine Baris
Girl soprano, Cvrcek (the cricket) (soloist from the National Children's Choir)

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