Blimey.
Janacek's rarely performed short opera, 'Osud' (meaning 'Destiny', and seen by me at 7.15 on 14th October) really is quite intense. At 1 hour and 25 minutes, this is the longest of Opera North's 'Little Greats' and although it acts as one half of an evening at the opera, there are still three clear acts separated by relatively lengthy 'breaks' in which the house lights come up briefly.
Opera North have form with bringing rare operas into the spotlight. Earlier this year, Rimsky-Korsakov's 'The Snowmaiden' was a prime example of this, and although it was an entertaining evening, it did have its faults. When 'Osud' started, I immediately thought a similar thing might happen, with act 1 consisting mainly of standard operatic narrative (albeit slightly more 'meta', with the main character being an opera composer) with a few confusing cultural references (this opera has been translated into English for Opera North's run). However, once the plot began to develop in acts 2 and 3, I realised that subtly, both Janacek and director Annabel Arden were working on bringing the true meaning behind the opera together so that the threads weave together by the end in genius fashion. More on this later.
Musically, this is some of the most expressive and grand music I've heard in an opera, expertly played by the orchestra and conducted by Martin Andre and sung by the entire cast. Arden's version seems simple but becomes increasingly more complex as it begins to mirror the opera within the opera, and it is when the two converge that the climax occurs. An opera about an opera, staged in a way in which the backstage can be glimpsed (as is the running theme in this season of operas) works perfectly, and is perhaps the inspiration for the theme of all six operas in terms of Charles Edwards' design. To be able to bring an obscure miniature opera that is almost entirely self referential to life in an interesting and emotionally engaging way as well as fit it into the aesthetic of an entire season compiled of far more well known pieces is really quite an astonishing achievement.
My problems with the opera are insubstantial on their own, yet did slightly colour the experience. Firstly, the choice of a Czech setting for the opera worked to a point, but perhaps if the piece is to be sung in a different language than originally intended, a different setting may help to also tease out the subtleties in the piece that remained unapparent, such as the mirror between the opera, Zhivny's relationship with his wife and the growth and the development of their son. These things are all interlinked, but this was somehow lost during the moments of more 'traditional' operatic tendencies towards the start. Secondly, unfortunately Rosalind Plowright as Mila's Mother, while her singing was intensely emotional, her annunciation was frankly confusing, and made me glad for the English surtitles present over the English singing. Finally, there were a few confusing additions which slightly skewed the narrative direction, making me wonder whether perhaps some things had been oversimplified whilst others had been over-complicated. The balance, though, in the end, did its job just fine.
I was very impressed with the ending. While some were confused I thought the creative choices were perfect for the type of opera that we were seeing. Such an intense little show is an immense achievement (I'm almost glad I am seeing my remaining operas on another instance rather than tonight, as for such a short opera it contained so very much to chew on!). Despite a few flaws in the finished performance, this opera, and the operas within, aren't about to be forgotten any time soon.
★★★★☆
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