The Cunning Little Vixen

About

Janáček Opera Orchestra and Chorus Children's choir Brno

Nature has inscribed a circle around me which I cannot leave, so I sit within and learn to love life.

Vixen is lyrical and melodic, sparkling with humour, kind and with a little of Janáček’s prickliness at the same time and and taking on the earthiness and humane philosophy of life of the eternal cycle of life. At the beginning of the story about the cunning vixen was the decision by the Brno editors of the Lidove noviny newspaper to provide their readers with cartoons with humorous texts.

The Janáček household were regular readers of Lidový noviny and the drawn stories caught the composer’s interest, but from the original chapters of the series he chose only ten. Těsnohlídek’s tale ends with the wedding of Bystrouška and Zlatohřbítek. However Janáček resolved to make a significant change compared to the original draft and allowed the main character to die, since as a true dramatist he felt the need for a catharsis.

Approximate running time, including intermission: 2 hours