Cunning Little Vixen for Adelaide
The forest comes alive this May at the Adelaide Showground. The Cunning Little Vixen is a musical celebration of nature and the cycle of life. Set in an idyllic forest, the opera follows a Vixen’s journey from youth to adulthood, where, with the help of her forest friends and a handsome Fox, Vixen faces growing up and the excitement and uncertainty that a changing world brings.
A magical allegory about life cycles, global citizenship and self-discovery, Janáček’s opera is considered one of the great modern works. Accompanied by a full symphony orchestra (the ASO) and complete with a chorus of chooks and children, The Cunning Little Vixen is a unique experience for young audiences and a wonderful introduction to opera.
Nominated for four Helpmann Awards, Stuart Maunder’s evocative production was premiered by The Victorian Opera in 2017 and presented by Western Australian Opera in 2018. The Adelaide season sees the return of award-winning soprano Antoinette Halloran to the role of Fox and stars South Australian rising star Desiree Frahn as the Vixen.
The Cunning Little Vixen is suitable for upper primary to secondary audiences and has a focus on the exploration of the bridge between the industrial and natural worlds and how we exist in those together. It is performed in English with English surtitles.
Czech composer Leoš Janáček wrote this unique animal opera in 1921-3 when he was approaching 70, to his own libretto. It was based on a popular serialised novel of the time that appeared in a local newspaper.
“The Cunning Little Vixen was Janáček’s personal valentine to the human condition in all its inexplicable, maddening, fierce and beautiful inconsistency,” says director Stuart Maunder.
Four performances 18-25 May 2019, including a special schools matinee on Tuesday 21 May with a Q&A session afterwards.
https://www.adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au/events/sosa19-cunning-little-vixen/
Image: Victorian Opera’s production of The Cunning Little Vixen. Photographer Jeff Busby