Music: Leos Janacek

Director: Nicholas Bone

Musical Director: Nicholas Fletcher

Reviewer: Greig Ratcliff

The Public Reviews Rating:

‘The Cunning Little Vixen’ is rather an influential marker in the history of opera. First performed in 1924, its audiences were exposed to more novel operatic writing including orchestral interludes, speechless singing, mime and ballet, which broadened and expanded the concept of a modern opera. Edinburgh Studio Opera deliver a solid and vastly entertaining production of this fantastical tale, effectively communicating its conflicting themes of comedy, love and tragedy whilst paying tribute to its unique and distinctive qualities.

The storyline to Janacek’s fantasy follows the tale of a wild vixen cub who is captured and forcibly kept by a forester as a pet, only to escape and live her life in the wild. As she grows into womanhood her adventures lead her to an enchanting boy fox with whom she has many cubs. Upon mocking a trap laid for her and her young by the poacher Haraschta the vixen is unexpectedly shot twice and killed, leaving her cubs running. The forester then sees the Vixen’s fur on the wife of Haraschta at the poacher’s wedding, and flees to the forest to seek solace at the place where he first met the Vixen. His grief growing, the forester mourns the loss of the Vixen before his heart is blessed with a deep peace, reassured by the circle of death inevitably leading to new life.

Much credit is to be given to the creative aspects of this production, notably for their bluntly understated contributions. The set remained almost constant throughout, with just minor props added or removed between scenes to set the appropriate atmospheres, and lighting also stayed relatively steadfast with minimal changes to brightness depending on the scene. With this in mind, some of the longer ‘scene changes’ and orchestral interlude sections did seem to drag, especially as the set could remain empty and unchanged for up to five minutes at any time. The costume design was simple and somewhat elementary yet some of the items possessed notable character, combining juvenile humour in those costumes of the comedic roles with more astute and periodic styles for the more serious leads; credit for this must go to the production’s costume designer, Iona Callum. The fact that all of these creative inputs were downplayed and ‘hushed’, however, allowed for the surprisingly serious tones of the storyline and Janacek’s complicated score to be appreciated all the more; all too often a production is brought to its knees by over-detailing every aspect, leaving an audience completely lost in music, storyline and aesthetics as a result.

As with any opera, delivery of performance is crucial. The orchestra were, without any hint of doubt, a huge asset to the entire performance. The players gelled together to result in a wonderful timbre, giving Janacek’s unenviable score its uniquely eerie and somehow barren tonal qualities. Their enthusiasm in the music and keen sense of musicianship undoubtedly carried the singers through certain scenes and Musical Director Nick Fletcher surely must be considered largely responsible for the production’s fluidity and elegance.

Louise Alder’s enchanting and emotional portrayal of the Vixen was unparalleled throughout. Her voice demanded the audience’s attention from her opening line, and triumphed the arduous leaps and challenges of Janacek’s music with apparent ease. Particularly beautiful were her scenes with the Fox (Suzanne McGrath) in which both voices together created incredibly intense emotions and atmospheres, whether these be comedic, solemn, flirtatious or romantic. Also worth serious mention is Philip Smith’s depiction of the Forester, whose competent vocal and acting skills brought both comical, egotistical and tragic qualities to the character. Sadly however, with these roles aside, the vocals in general lacked projection, and as a result diction suffered greatly. At some points lines became completely unintelligible and the storyline rather waned in these areas until a stronger singer entered.

Edinburgh Studio Opera are well-renowned and considered to be an extremely competent company, and with productions such as ‘The Cunning Little Vixen’ it is easy to understand why. Not only does everybody involved dedicate themselves to the success of the show, but the company itself are committed to performing not just popular classics but also reviving and introducing older and newer productions alike.

‘The Cunning Little Vixen’ is an enthralling show with many commendable attributes, and it is well-worth supporting and going to see.

Runs until the 3rd of March 2010

The Cunning Little Vixen (ESO)- Pleasance Theatre, Edinburgh, 4.3 out of 5 based on 9 ratings

Tags: Edinburgh, Edinburgh Studio Opera, Iona Callum, Leoš Janáček, Louise Alder, Nick Fletcher, Opera, Philip Smith, Pleasance Theatre, Suzanne McGrath, The Cunning Little Vixen