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A guide to Jenůfa

21 January 2022

Leoš Janáček (1854-1928) was 62 when his opera Jenůfa  brought him unexpected international recognition in the early 20th century. It helped to seal his reputation as one of the great Czech composers alongside Dvořák and Smetana. Welsh National Opera’s powerful production of this much-loved opera is based on two strong female characters: Jenůfa and her step-mother Kostelnička; in a story in which they struggle with secrets, jealousy and the bitterness of past family relationships against the harsh realities and oppressive intolerance of 19th century village life. It’s a heart-breaking tale based on the controversial play Her Stepdaughter by Gabriela Preissová. The play and the opera very much reflect life in and around the villages Moravia and takes inspiration from folk tales and themes of the time. The play caused scandal for its realism and brutality at its premiere in 1890, so much so that Preissová was reluctant for Janáček to set the story to music. Like Preissová, Janáček had been inspired by Moravian and Slavic folk stories and music all his musical life and felt that Her Stepdaughter would be the perfect story for an opera that could incorporate these influences.

Janáček was fairly faithful to the play in the libretto for Jenůfa but he did make some changes in order to maintain dramatic pace – such as the omission of the thwarted back-story of Kostelnička, Jenůfa’s step-mother, which does shed light on why she perhaps behaves as she does to Jenůfa, and as the play’s title suggests – it is the step-mother who is the main protagonist not Jenůfa.

WNO’s production of Janáček’s Jenůfais both captivating and critically acclaimed with its wonderfully simple setting and enduring themes of love, despair and redemption. The opera’s success for Janáček was also tinged with sadness for the composer. He completed the opera as his beloved daughter Olga was on her deathbed. She died just before its premiere in Brno in 1904 and Janáček dedicated Jenůfa to his daughter’s memory.