Jenůfa (Janáček Brno 2026)

ABOUT

Worse than scars on the face are the scars on the soul.

Jenůfa belongs among Janáček’s most famous works and has been a permanent part of the repertoire of the Brno Opera. At its beginning stood the realistic drama by Gabriela Preissová, which the composer himself adapted into an operatic libretto. Although he had to shorten the dramatic text considerably, he managed to deepen even further the impact of this tragic story from the Moravian countryside. The wasteful and fickle Števa, the hot-tempered yet at heart kind Laca, and above all the relentless Kostelnička, whose effort to preserve her status and respect within the village community leads her to murder her foster daughter Jenůfa’s child. Janáček (1854–1928) captured these characters with masterful dramatic concision that chills us, while at the same time arousing compassion and understanding. The path to the final version of the work, marked by the death of the composer’s daughter Olga, was long and thorny. After its successful premiere in Brno in 1904, Jenůfa had to wait twelve long years before Janáček’s effort was finally crowned with deserved success on other domestic and international stages.

Premiere: 2 October 2015 at the Janáček Theatre

Performed in the original Czech version with Czech, English, and German surtitles.

Creatives

Composer: Leoš Janáček
Conductor: Jakub Hrůša
Director: Martin Glaser
Set Design: Pavel Borák
Costumes: Markéta Sládečková – Oslzlá
Lighting Design: Martin Špetlík
Choreography: Mário Radačovský
Dramaturgy: Olga Šubrtová
Choirmaster: Pavel Koňárek
Ensemble: Janáček Opera NdB
Orchestra: Bamberg Symphony

Cast

Jenůfa: Corinne Winters
Kostelnička: Eliška Weissová
Grandmother Buryjovka: Jitka Zerhauová
Laca Klemeň: Nicky Spence
Števa Buryja: Thomas Atkins
Foreman: Svatopluk Sem
Mayor (Rychtář): David Szendiuch
Mayor’s Wife (Rychtářka): Jarmila Vantuchová
Karolka: Eva Svozilová
Shepherdess (Pastuchyňa): Jitka Klečanská
Barena: Anna Moriová
Jano: Martina Mádlová / Marta Reichelová
Aunt (Tetka): Ivona Špičková