Jenůfa
Opera by Leoš Janáček / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Její pastorkyňa (Her Stepdaughter; commonly known as Jenůfa (listenⓘ)) is an opera in three acts by Leoš Janáček to a Czech libretto by the composer, based on the play Její pastorkyňa by Gabriela Preissová. It was first performed at the National Theatre, Brno on 21 January 1904. Composed between 1896 and 1902,[1] it is among the first operas written in prose.[2]
Jenůfa | |
---|---|
Opera by Leoš Janáček | |
Native title | Její pastorkyňa (Her Stepdaughter) |
Librettist | Janáček |
Language | Czech |
Based on | Její pastorkyňa by Gabriela Preissová |
Premiere |
The first of Janáček's operas in which his distinctive voice can clearly be heard, it is a grim story of infanticide and redemption. Like the playwright's original work, it is known for its unsentimental realism. While today it is heard in the composer's original version, Jenůfa's early popularity was due to a revised version by Karel Kovařovic, altering what was considered its eccentric style and orchestration. Thus altered, it was well-received, first in Prague, and particularly after its Vienna première also worldwide.[3] More than 70 years passed before audiences again heard it in Janáček's original version.
Janáček wrote an overture to the opera, but decided not to use it. It was partly based on a song called Žárlivec (The jealous man). It is now performed as a concert piece under the title Žárlivost (Jealousy), JW 6/10.[4]
The composer dedicated the work to the memory of his daughter Olga (d. 1903), as he did his choral composition the Elegy on the Death of Daughter Olga.