Destiny (Janácek)
Encyclopedia
Destiny is an opera
in three acts by Leoš Janáček
to a Czech libretto
by the composer and Fedora Bartošová. Janáček began the work in 1903 and completed it in 1907. The inspiration for the opera came from a visit by Janáček in the summer of 1903, after the death of his daughter Olga, to the spa at Luhačovice. There, Janáček met Kamila Urválková, who had been the subject of an opera by Ludvík Čelanský
, Kamila, where she felt that Čelanský had falsely depicted her personality. After learning that Janáček was a composer, Urválková persuaded Janáček to write another opera to counteract Čelanský's portrait of her.
Janáček submitted the opera to the Brno Theatre in 1906, and to the Vinohrady Theatre in Prague in 1907, but both theatres rejected the score. The score stayed with the Vinohrady Theatre even after Janáček had threatened lawsuits against the theatre and after the Brno theatre made offers of a possible production.
The work did not receive a hearing until after Janáček's death, in 1934
on Brno Radio.
, conducted by František Jílek
, as part of the 1958 Janáček Festival in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of Janáček's death.
However, the structure of the plot was altered from the original to give the story a "flashback" format, where the story begins with Act 3 and interpolates Act 1 and Act 2 as the "flashbacks", before returning to finish Act 3.
The first UK staging was in 1984 at English National Opera
, in a translation by David Poutney, but with Janáček's original plot structure intact. The first US production was in July 2003 at the Bard Summerscape Festival. Scholars have criticised weaknesses in the plot as the reason for the opera's neglect.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
in three acts by Leoš Janáček
Leoš Janácek
Leoš Janáček was a Czech composer, musical theorist, folklorist, publicist and teacher. He was inspired by Moravian and all Slavic folk music to create an original, modern musical style. Until 1895 he devoted himself mainly to folkloristic research and his early musical output was influenced by...
to a Czech libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by the composer and Fedora Bartošová. Janáček began the work in 1903 and completed it in 1907. The inspiration for the opera came from a visit by Janáček in the summer of 1903, after the death of his daughter Olga, to the spa at Luhačovice. There, Janáček met Kamila Urválková, who had been the subject of an opera by Ludvík Čelanský
Ludvík Celanský
Ludvík Vítězslav Čelanský was a Czech conductor and composer. He was founder and first principal conductor of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.- Biography :...
, Kamila, where she felt that Čelanský had falsely depicted her personality. After learning that Janáček was a composer, Urválková persuaded Janáček to write another opera to counteract Čelanský's portrait of her.
Janáček submitted the opera to the Brno Theatre in 1906, and to the Vinohrady Theatre in Prague in 1907, but both theatres rejected the score. The score stayed with the Vinohrady Theatre even after Janáček had threatened lawsuits against the theatre and after the Brno theatre made offers of a possible production.
The work did not receive a hearing until after Janáček's death, in 1934
1934 in music
-Events:*March 12 - the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Wilhelm Furtwängler given the world premiere of Paul Hindemith's symphony Mathis der Maler in Berlin.*May 28 - The Glyndebourne festival is inaugurated....
on Brno Radio.
Performance history
The first staging was in 1958 in BrnoBrno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
, conducted by František Jílek
František Jílek
František Jílek was a Czech conductor, known especially for his interpretation of Leoš Janáček's works.- Life :...
, as part of the 1958 Janáček Festival in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of Janáček's death.
However, the structure of the plot was altered from the original to give the story a "flashback" format, where the story begins with Act 3 and interpolates Act 1 and Act 2 as the "flashbacks", before returning to finish Act 3.
The first UK staging was in 1984 at English National Opera
English National Opera
English National Opera is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St. Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with the Royal Opera, Covent Garden...
, in a translation by David Poutney, but with Janáček's original plot structure intact. The first US production was in July 2003 at the Bard Summerscape Festival. Scholars have criticised weaknesses in the plot as the reason for the opera's neglect.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, first staging in Brno, 25 October 1958 (Conductor:František Jílek) |
|---|---|---|
| Míla Valková | soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody... |
Jindra Pokorná |
| Živný, a composer | tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2... |
Jaroslav Ulrych |
| Míla's Mother | soprano | |
| Dr. Suda | tenor | |
| First Lady | soprano | |
| Second Lady | soprano | |
| Old Slovak Woman | soprano | |
| Councillor's Wife | soprano | |
| Lhotský, a painter | baritone Baritone Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or... |
|
| Konečký | baritone | |
| Miss Stuhlá, a teacher | mezzo-soprano Mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above... |
|
| Miss Pacovská | soprano | |
Act 1
Míla and the composer Živný were once lovers, but Míla’s mother ended the relationship in hopes of a more advantageous match for her daughter. Alas, Míla was already pregnant and is now a single mother, unlikely to marry anyone else. She and Živný meet again for the first time amid the amusements of a spa town. They sneak off together and rekindle their love, but her mother tracks them down in the crowd and predicts disaster.Act 2
Four years later Živný and Míla are married, but her mother lives with them and has become mentally fragile. While their young son Doubek plays, the couple read through the unfinished opera Živný began during their separation. It is filled with bitterness against Míla, portraying her as faithless. Míla’s mother, losing her mind completely, repeats snatches of music from the opera before rushing to throw herself off a balcony. Attempting to restrain her mother, Míla too is pulled over, and both are killed.Act 3
Eleven years later, Živný’s opera is at last to be performed, although it remains unfinished. He rehearses a chorus from the opera with his students, among them Doubek, now a young man. Another student, Verva, guesses that the hero of the opera is the composer himself. Through the music, Živný again relives his love for Míla and his cruelty to her. Tormented by regret, he asks Doubek to fetch a glass of water and then collapses. The end of the opera must remain in God’s hands.Recordings
- SupraphonSupraphonSupraphon Music Publishing is a Czech record label, it is oriented mainly towards publishing classical music, with an emphasis on Czech and Slovak composers.- History :...
SU 0045-2 611: Jarmila Palivcová, Jindřich Doubek, Jindřich Doubek, Daniela Suryová, Marie Steinerová, Vilém PřibylVilém PřibylVilém Přibyl was a Czech operatic tenor. After serving during World War II, he made his professional debut at the age of 34 in Ústí nad Labem, in 1958. Beginning in 1962, he sang at the National Theatre in Brno. He died of a stroke.Přibyl made a number of recordings, among them Osud by Leoš...
, Josef Škrobánek, Vladimír Krejčík, Jiří Holešovský, Antonín Jurečka, Jiří Olejníček, Jaroslav SoučekJaroslav SoučekJaroslav Souček was a Czech operatic baritone who had an active career in his native country from 1960 through 1997. He sang a broad repertoire that encompassed roles from Czech, English, French, German, Italian, and Russian operas from a variety of musical periods...
, Richard Novák, František Caban, Anna Barová, Jaroslava Janská, Jarmila Hladíková, Jindra Pokorná, Jarmila Krátká, Zdenka Kareninová, Milena Jílková, Magdaléna HajóssyováMagdaléna HajóssyováMagdaléna Hajóssyová is a renowned classical Slovak soprano who has had an active international career singing in operas, concerts, and recitals since the late 1960s. She has been particularly active at the Prague State Opera where she has been a principal artist since 1972...
, Magda Polášková; Brno Janáček Opera Orchestra and Chorus; František JílekFrantišek JílekFrantišek Jílek was a Czech conductor, known especially for his interpretation of Leoš Janáček's works.- Life :...
, conductor - OrfeoOrfeoL'Orfeo , sometimes called L'Orfeo, favola in musica, is an early Baroque opera by Claudio Monteverdi, with a libretto by Alessandro Striggio. It is based on the Greek legend of Orpheus, and tells the story of his descent to Hades and his fruitless attempt to bring his dead bride Eurydice back to...
C 384 951 A: Peter Straka, Lívia ÁghováLívia ÁghováLívia Ághová is a Slovak opera singer. She has been a principal soprano at the National Theatre in Prague since 1988. Her career has also taken her to many of the best opera houses and concert halls in North America and Europe...
, Marta BeňačkováMarta BeňačkováMarta Beňačková is a Slovak mezzo-soprano who has had an active performing career since the 1970s in concerts, operas, and recitals.-Biography:...
, Štefan MargitaŠtefan MargitaŠtefan Margita is a Slovak opera singer who has had an active international career since 1981. He began his career singing mostly roles from the lyric tenor repertoire but in recent years he has tackled a number of dramatic tenor roles...
, Peter Mikuláš, Ivan Kusnjer, Ludmila Nováková-VernerováLudmila VernerováLudmila Vernerová is a Czech operatic soprano and the niece of oboist Pavel Verner. After graduating from the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, she was a regular performer at the Prague Chamber Opera in the mid 1980s. In 1987 she joined the Prague National Theatre where she performed for 12...
, Martina Straková, Věra Přibylová, Lubomír Moravec, Richard Sporka, Lenka Kučerová, Vladimír Nacházel, Eva Zbytovská; Prague Chamber ChoirPrague Chamber ChoirThe Prague Chamber Choir is a Czech choir founded in 1990 by singers of the Prague Philharmonic Choir. It has given concerts in Australia, Brazil, Israel, Japan, Lebanon and many European countries .- External links :*...
, Chorus Masters Josef Pančík; Czech Philharmonic OrchestraCzech Philharmonic OrchestraThe Česká filharmonie is a symphony orchestra based in Prague and is the best-known and most respected orchestra in the Czech Republic.- History :...
, Gerd AlbrechtGerd AlbrechtGerd Albrecht is a German conductor. He was a first-prize winner at the International Conductors Competition in Besançon at age 22. His first post was as a repetiteur at the Stuttgart State Opera. Later, he became Senior Kapellmeister at the Mainz Municipal Theatre, and Generalmusikdirektor in...
, conductor (live recording 1995) - Chandos CHAN3029 (sung in English): Helen Field, Philip LangridgePhilip LangridgePhilip Gordon Langridge CBE was an English tenor, considered to be among the foremost exponents of English opera and oratorio....
, Kathryn Harries, Peter Bronder, Stuart Kale, Barry MoraBarry MoraBarry Mora is a New Zealand classical baritone who had an active international career in concerts and operas from the mid 1970s through the 1990s. Retired from the stage, he is currently a member of the board at The NBR New Zealand Opera....
, Christine Teare, Elizabeth Gaskell, Dorothy Hood, Catroina Bell, Mark Holland, Rebecca Moseley-Morgan, Samuel Linay, Michael Preston-Roberts, Yolande Jones, Cheryl Edwards, Mary Davies, Gaynor Keeble, Gareth Rhys-Davies, Philip Lloyd-Evans, Ralph Mason, Timothy German, Frances Manning; Welsh National OperaWelsh National OperaWelsh National Opera is an opera company founded in Cardiff, Wales in 1943. The WNO tours Wales, the United Kingdom and the rest of the world extensively. Annually, it gives more than 120 performances of eight main stage operas to a combined audience of around 150,000 people...
Orchestra and Chorus; Sir Charles MackerrasCharles MackerrasSir Alan Charles Maclaurin Mackerras, AC, CH, CBE was an Australian conductor. He was an authority on the operas of Janáček and Mozart, and the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan...
, conductor