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Janácek and Adès at the 2016 West Edge Opera Festival

Jul. 08, 2016

Janácek and Adès at the 2016 West Edge Opera Festival

In July and August, West Edge Opera’s 2016 Festival presents Thomas Ades’s Powder Her Face and Leos Janácek’s The Cunning Little Vixen, in the chamber orchestra reduction by Jonathan Dove.

Based after Janácek’s classic three-act opera, Dove’s 1998 arrangement of The Cunning Little Vixen is a reduced version of the composer’s original work. The opera blends modern lyricism and Czech folk melody into a forest idyll, one that would awaken the notion of the unity of life – both human and animal. The story also has the distinction of being the only opera in the repertory based on a serialized graphic novel — Rudolf Tesnohlidek’s ‘Liška Bystrouška’ (c. 1920-21) serves as the text source after which Janácek wrote his own libretto.

Dove’s arrangement premiered in 1993 at the Birmingham Contemporary Opera led by Simon Halsey. West Edge Opera’s production runs for three performances, conducted by Jonathan Khuner, on July 30, August 7 & 13, with stage direction by Patrick Diamond.

Thomas Ades’s Powder Her Face received its premiere in 1995 by the Almeida Opera (directed by David Farr) as part of the Cheltenham Festival, conducted by Brad Cohen. Based on the infamous British scandal of the 1963 divorce case of Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll, Powder Her Face has garnered wide acclaim and countless international performances since its premiere in 1995. Elkhanah Pulitzer directs West Edge Opera’s production, with performances on July 31, August 6 & 13, led by Mary Chun.

For complete performance details, visit westedgeopera.org.

Click below for more information on the composers:

Leos Janácek  |  Thomas Adès

Thomas Ades
Powder Her Face (1995)
chamber opera in two acts
libretto (Eng) by Philip Hensher
2 sopranos, tenor, bass
3cl(I.bcl, ssax, bsax; II.bcl, asax, bsax ad lib; III.bcl, cbcl, swanee whistle)-hn.tpt.trbn-perc-hp-pno -accordion-2vn.va.vc.db
115’

Leos Janácek
The Adventures of Vixen Sharp-Ears; The Cunning Little Vixen (1922-1923)
reduced version arranged by Jonathan Dove (1998)
opera in three acts
for 2 sopranos, child soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, 2 basses, SATB chorus and small ballet
1.1.1.1-2.1.1.0-perc-hp.acc-str(1.1.1.1.1)
110’

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