Arts news |
18 Jul 2008
A first for New Zealand - NBR NZ Opera - Glyndebourne production
Glyndebourne - the name is synonymous with pedigree and perfection. The quality of Glyndebourne Festival productions is unsurpassed; they set the benchmark to which opera companies around the world aspire. Now, for the first time, New Zealand audiences can experience a Glyndebourne production in this country when The NBR New Zealand Opera, with significant sponsorship from Genesis Energy, brings the widely acclaimed production of Jenůfa to Auckland in September and Wellington in October.
Composed in 1904 by Czech composer Leoš Janáček, Jenůfa is driven by strong female characters. It's a gripping tale, a powerful statement of loss and redemption; raw and harrowing, yet compassionate and uplifting, and as relevant to today's audiences as it was to those a hundred years ago.
General Director of The NBR New Zealand Opera, Aidan Lang says, "We are immensely proud to be collaborating with such a distinguished company and presenting, for the first time in the Southern Hemisphere, this exemplary Glyndebourne Festival production of Jenůfa by the internationally renowned director Nikolaus Lehnhoff. And we mean to do it justice. We've secured a stellar cast, headed by Anne Sophie Duprels as Jenůfa, Tom Randle as Laca, and Margaret Medlyn as the Kostelnička; we recently brought out the UK's top Czech voice coach to work with the singers on the language; and the orchestras in Auckland and Wellington are going to extra lengths to fully acquaint themselves with the intricacies of Janáček's music."
This production of Jenůfa is a masterpiece of construction and is considered one of the jewels in Glyndebourne's repertoire crown. It has helped bring the genius of Janáček to the world and see him placed as one of the truly great opera composers of the 20th century.
"Janacek was a glorious one-off," Lang says, "and with the virtue of hindsight it is clear that his musical language and dramaturgy were way ahead of their time. In tragedy he finds hope, in death he finds renewal. He never judges his characters but stands outside and, however dreadful their actions, views them with compassion and understanding, so they in turn touch our hearts.
"This production of Jenůfa has great depth and packs a phenomenal emotional punch, "Lang adds, "and I have no doubt will deliver an unforgettable theatrical and musical experience."
Sung in Czech with English surtitles, The NBR New Zealand Opera's Genesis Energy Spring Season of Jenůfa opens in Auckland on Saturday 20 September and in Wellington on Saturday 11 October.
The NBR New Zealand Opera receives core funding from Creative New Zealand.
