This Spring, Katie Mitchell’s acclaimed staging of Janáček’s Jenůfa returns to Welsh National Opera. The opera has been toying with our emotions since its premiere in January 1904 and was described by the director as the ultimate soap opera. We caught up with our leading lady, Elizabeth Llewellyn, who makes her role debut in the title role this Season.
How would you describe the character of Jenůfa?
Jenůfa is a devout and clever (literate) young woman, who has grown-up in a small rural community but has had her head turned by the local young mill-owner. When the opera opens, she has been living in a constant state of fear and unbearable guilt which makes her both nervous and prone to outbursts. She is dependent upon everyone around her, and so she tends to trust easily. In many ways she is very much like Verdi’s Luisa Miller (which was the last role I sang before the pandemic), and the end of the opera sees Jenůfa develop the same emotional maturity and stature displayed by Luisa Miller in Schiller’s play of the same name.
You are renowned for your vivid portrayals of Puccini and Verdi heroines. What enticed you over to Janáček?
I have been looking for an opportunity to sing Jenůfa for years. After studying the score and listening to recordings, I could really hear myself sing the role. It sits very comfortably in my voice. The greatest challenge has been learning the Czech and ensuring that I sing well technically as well as linguistically.
How have you approached the character?
One of the first things I do when I prepare a new role is to try to compare it to similar dramatic situations I have played in the past. Interestingly, of the seven Puccini roles I have sung, over half of them deal with the themes of either the loss of a child (Suor Angelica and Giorgetta/ Il Tabarro), or childlessness (Magda / La Rondine), or self-sacrifice for a child (Madam Butterfly), so I had somewhere to start in thinking through Jenůfa’s loss.
That said, I’ve had to put aside my 21st century independent womanhood and enter fully into the late 19th, early 20th century rural girlhood, trying to understand why Jenůfa behaves the way she does and says what she says. My aim is always to be a good, true, and believable advocate for the role I am playing, so taking time to think through the role and her motivations is a crucial part of my preparation.
Which musical number are you looking forward to performing?
I have two favourite musical moments: the first is the big ensemble in Act 1 - Každý párek si musí -which is full of Slavic suffering but strikes me as being quite Verdian in style; the second is Jenůfa’s prayer in Act 2 - Zdrávas královno – it’s so tender and transparent, a suspended moment of beauty and calm.
Why should people come and experience Jenůfa?
As a story, it should make everyone – especially women - think how they might react if they found themselves in a similar situation. It deals with some big (but familiar) themes such as family, social structures and mores, love, jealousy, mother-daughter relationships, religion, etc. It is extremely accessible on one hand and delivers to the intense drama of operatic proportions on the other.