Lyric Opera 2023-2024 Issue 4 - Jenufa

Lyric Opera of Chicago | 24 Janáˇcek is of course a fellow Czech—does that similarity give you particular insight into his work? It’s true that because of where I was born I’m often asked to do Janáˇcek’s work. But if I may speak personally, it’s very close to my heart and background—an essential point of my knowledge and experience. Jen ˚ufa in particular is, to this day, a piece which among all operas of all times has one of the deepest and most powerful emotional impacts on me. In other words, I’m always moved and in tears. It can be a rather shattering piece. The story is not easy to bear. I’ve spoken to singers who have found it very uneasy or difficult to do—especially parents. The problem with Janáˇcek is that he goes inside your heart and doesn’t give you distance from what you see and hear. But the music helps us with a catharsis, as in an old Greek drama. Really, the outcome of this terrible, cruel story is that you feel emotionally purified. If someone has gone through a very difficult stage of life and sheds many tears, then at the end of the process, there’s a better feeling. This is a very strong piece of drama which guides you through very deep and very personal emotions. Where do you place this opera among the composer’s work—and among his contemporaries? Among Janáˇcek’s works, it’s definitely the most accessible—a masterpiece, but one that hews closely to Romantic traditions. Opera lovers who are very much at home in the idiom of the 19th century, in Verdi and in Wagner, in Gounod or Massenet—they will still find a very easy connection to Jen ˚ufa . I’ve heard that the piece hasn’t been done for some time at Lyric, and hopefully it will be a very beautiful discovery for the audience. You’re saying that Jen˚ufa is more accessible than The Cunning Little Vixe n? Musically, for sure—much more. The Cunning Little Vixen is considered a fairy tale with animals and interesting stories, accessible to children and so on. But in terms of musical language, in terms of soundscape, it makes you a little uneasy. And also it’s extremely difficult to stage. What else draws you to Jen˚ufa ? Jen ˚ufa is the first outburst of Janáˇcek’s originality and his creative power. I first saw it as a teenager—and it seemed to me greater than any other piece in the theater. But who wouldn’t feel that way? Once you are willing to be drawn into the drama, it’s inevitable to be touched. Janáˇcek will not let you leave the theater indifferent. Sometimes his reputation is that he’s too harsh and somehow too radical and not easy to listen to. But very often it’s because it hasn’t been managed well. It’s a challenging piece of music, always. You have to take care to really play it well. If you do, it works. You’re very accomplished in both operatic and orchestral repertoire. Do you approach them in any different way? Yes and no. There are different genres, but of course, music is music. So the essence of my work as conductor is the same. On a profound level, though, opera requires more teamwork. And I have always liked it because I think with more people, points of view, and art forms involved—once they achieve true harmony and collaboration—the effect can be even stronger. I realized quite early on that opera as a genre is kind of a climax or the peak of what a musician can do. But I also realized that very often it gets compromised in quality. You cannot presume that every single project you do will be exactly according to your wishes—so opera for me is the genre to try to do as best as possible in the hope that—at least several times in your life—it will be really fantastic. Conductor’s note A conversation with Jakub Hrůša on the challenges and enduring impact of his countryman’s opera. Marian Lenhard