As a season finale, Opera Ballet Vlaanderen chose Leoš Janáček's tragic Jenůfa (1904): a tale about humanity and desire. This is a composition that, after 120 years, still strikes a chord with contemporary audiences. Under the baton of conductor Alejo Pérez, and with direction by Robert Carsen, OBV brings us a haunting, raw confrontation.
Jenůfa: A Pawn of Fate(?)
The Power of Janáček's Naturalistic Opera Jenůfa lies in its realistic core. It takes place in the late nineteenth century, but it could just as easily happen today. A girl (Jenůfa, soprano Agneta Eichenholz) is at the center of a story about jealousy, possessiveness, and moral purity. She's in love with the village playboy Števa (tenor Ladislav Elgr). To the dismay of his half-brother Laca (tenor James McCorkle), who disfigures her because of this (!). After that, Števa simply abandons her. But unfortunately, Jenůfa turns out to be pregnant, something he was aware of. The girl is emotionally pulled and tugged at. She has no agency in this story, but is merely a plot device for the other players.
The real tragedy comes from Jenůfa's stepmother, the Kostélnice (mezzo-soprano Natascha Petrinsky). Throughout the opera, she faces horrifying ideas and choices. It starts with her warning to Jenůfa about Števa's true nature, continues with the pregnancy, and ultimately with what the (unwanted) child represents. As the Kostélnice, she also carries religious connotations. Jenůfa is the definition of a victim of another's fate, but the Kostélnice? She is the central antihero haunted by her choices, and the fate of her stepdaughter. And Laca, who disfigured Jenůfa? He marries the girl in the end, is simply forgiven… as if it were nothing.
But is such forgiveness realistic? Or does it give us insight into how human psychology has always been strongly shaped by social constructs, such as patriarchy, religion, and herd mentality? Actually, Jenůfa as a story, in 2024, is an excellent choice by OBV to make us think. What is still our reality – such as abuse, exploitation, and manipulation – and what have we finally left behind? Do we now have more choice in our own fate, unlike the unfortunate Jenůfa, or do we still not?
The Earthly Reality
The direction and set design placed the audience in an almost voyeuristic role. The movable (door) walls created an illusion of outsiders peering in. All while the drama unfolded. Drama that the Kostélnice would have preferred to keep behind closed doors. The use of earth brought us back to how this is ultimately a rural scene. This in musical harmony with Janáček's use of Moravian folk motifs. The lighting and costumes in Carsen's production often make you feel as though you've stumbled into a Golden Age Hollywooddrama.
But beyond the stage itself, who stands on it is even more important: the cast. Petrinsky as the Kostélnice, in a role that required both pure vocal tones and veristic screaming – sometimes shortly after each other – has made this part her own. What could have been a caricature was instead a play of emotions. I won't say too much in this review about what she (the Kostélnice) actually does; because you simply need to hear and see it for yourself as an audience member. It's emotionally gripping.
McCorkle, as Laca, was disturbingly sympathetic. In such a way that you empathized with the happiness of a possessive and violent man. His full vocal sound – which naturally contains a kind of creamy vocality (so to speak) – maintained this internal conflict. Now, ultimately these are just two names from an excellent and balanced ensemble. Everyone, from Eichenholz and Elgr to soprano Karen Vermeiren – a delightful surprise as the Mayor's Wife – was at their best. Words fail me.
The end of the season brings us a haunting opera, and an excellent performance. Jenůfa to life without letting the realistic tragedy get lost in soap opera territory isn't always easy. OBV's production has found and presented the right balance. Hopefully this is a promise of an equally strong season to come!
