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The Cunning Little Vixen: the true/false story

It’s no easy matter taming a vixen! The gamekeeper, who introduces one into his household, learns this the hard way, especially as the animal in question is particularly cunning, feminist and even revolutionary, calling on the hens in the barnyard to revolt against the cockerel and “forge a new world”! Alas, while freedom allows her to find love, the little vixen will pay a high price...Premiered in Brno in 1924, Leoš Janáček’s piece, with orchestration as lush as the nature it describes, is a score apart in the history of opera, where foxes, crickets and grasshoppers, dogs and woodpeckers are rarely the heroes of the story. A fairy tale fable, this Cunning Little Vixen an allegory of human life, a hymn celebrating the eternal renewal of life and nature. The Paris Opera Orchestra, Chorus and Atelier lyrique Maîtrise des Hauts-de-Seine / Paris Opera's Childen Choir Director: Don Kent © Idéale Audience - Opéra national de Paris -NHK - France 2008

Bystrouška: The little vixen The forester: The man who captured Bystrouška The forester’s wife Lapák: The forester’s dog The village schoolmaster The village priest Pásek: The innkeeper Mrs Pásková: The innkeeper’s wife Harašta: A poacher The fox: Bystrouška’s husband Farmyard and wild animals

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The Cunning Little Vixen

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The Cunning Little Vixen, from 15 January to 1 February 2025 at the Opéra Bastille

It’s no easy matter taming a vixen! The gamekeeper, who introduces one into his household, learns this the hard way, especially as the animal in question is particularly cunning, feminist and even revolutionary, calling on the hens in the barnyard to

Leoš Janácek

Born July 3, 1854, Hukvaldy, Moravia, Leoš Janaček first studied music at the Brno monastery and then organ in Prague and at the Leipzig Conservatory. In 1874, he met in Prague Antonin Dvořak, who would greatly influence his compositions and for whom he developed a deep friendship. In 1881 he founded a college of organists at Brno, which then became a conservatory, then a permanent orchestra. He composed his first opera, Šarka, in 1887. Named secretary of the Folkloric Studies Department in Prague, he collected and revised many popular songs and composed works in the tradition of the genre. Most of his inspiration came from the Moravian folk culture, the dialects and customs of his native country and the sounds of nature. But he was also a remarkable playwright and theatre director. Other sources came from the Slavic culture: Dostoïevski, Gogol, Ostrovski and Tolstoï inspired him to write From the House of the Dead, the orchestral rhapsody Taras Bulba, the opera Katya Kabanova and the quartet Kreutzer Sonata. His entire work is characterised by a powerful dramatic charge: Jenůfa and Katia’s portraits are, for instance, marked by a great and subtle psychology. Though he never gave birth to an aesthetical school, he nonetheless remained a lifelong champion for a Czech culture connected to the realities of his time. His dedication to local musical life, only matched by his determination to compose exclusively in Czech with the passion of a linguist, slowed down his career, and he was long considered as a regional musician. During his lifetime, he enjoyed a late success, limited to a defined territory: Jenůfa finally made his mark when the composer was already 62 years old. His repertoire includes a ballet, nine operas (the most famous being Katia Kabanova, Jenůfa, Osud, Mr. Brouček’s Excursion to the Moon, The Cunning Little Vixen, LThe Makropulos Case, From the House of the Dead) - almost all of them were composed in Brno - choral works (masses, motets, cantatas), including The Glagolitic Mass to ancient Slavonic lyrics, instrumental music works (rhapsodies, symphonic poems, quartets, sonatas). He died in Ostrava on August 12, 1928.

Trained at the Atelier lyrique de l'Opéra national de ParisElena Tsallagova studied at the St Petersburg Conservatory and, after winning first prize in the Rachmaninov competition, began performing at the Mariinsky Theatre before continuing her studies in Europe. A former member of the ensembles of Munich's Bayerische Staatsoper and Berlin's Deutsche Oper, she remains a regular guest of both houses. She made her debut with Glyndebourne Touring Opera in 2009 and is a regular guest at Madrid's Teatro Real, Amsterdam National Opera, Opéra National du Rhin, Pesaro, Salzburg and Bregenz Festivals.Recent engagements include debuts as Marta (La Passagère) at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, Eva (Les Maîtres chanteurs de Nuremberg) and Corinna (Le Voyage à Reims) at the Deutsche Oper in Berlin, Adina (L'Élixir d'amour) at the Staatsoper in Stuttgart and Leïla (Les Pêcheurs de perles) at the Opéra Ballet de Flandre.Concert appearances include La Petite Renarde rusée (title role) conducted by Jakub Hrůša with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. In the 2024-2025 season, her roles include Elettra (Idomeneo) at the Theater an der Wien, the title role in The Cunning Little Vixen and Marta at the Bayerische Staatsoper Munich, Leila at the Staatstheater Wiesbaden, as well as Pamina (The Magic Flute), Eva, Violetta (La Traviata), Donna Clara (The Dwarf) and Mimi (La Bohème) at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. In concert, she performs Dvořák's Te Deum with the Prague Philharmonic Choir.At the Opéra national de Paris: Capriccio (Eine italienische Sängerin), 2007; Don Carlo (Una Voce dal cielo), 2008; La Femme sans ombre (Die Stimme des Falken, Ein Hüter der Schwelle des Tempels, Eine Kinderstimme, Eine Stimme), 2008; La Petite Renarde rusée (The Cunning Little Vixen), 2008; Ariane à Naxos (Najade), 2010; Siegfried (Waldvogel), 2011, 2013; Pelléas et Mélisande (Mélisande), 2012, 2015, 2017; Falstaff (Nannetta), 2013; La Bohème (Musetta), 2014, 2017; Werther (Sophie), 2016

Tsallagova.Elena (c)  

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michele-lagrange

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david kuebler

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Paul Gay performs on the major international opera stages, including Munich's Bayerische Staatsoper, the Glyndebourne Festival, Opéra national de Paris, La Monnaie in Brussels, Amsterdam's Opéra national and Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu. He has collaborated with conductors such as Seiji Ozawa, Kent Nagano, Michel Plasson, Philippe Jordan and Semyon Bychkov, as well as with directors such as Willy Decker, Krystof Warlikowsky, Robert Carsen, Luc Bondy and Peter Stein. His repertoire includes the title role in Messiaen's Saint François d'Assise, Golaud (Pelléas et Mélisande), Méphistophélès (Faust), Don Diègue (Le Cid), King Ignace (Yvonne, princesse de Bourgogne). Paul Gay has recently performed the roles of Philippe II (Don Carlo), Méphistophélès (La Damnation de Faust) with the Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, Klingsor (Parsifal) in Frankfurt, Escamillo (Carmen) in Toronto, Golaud at La Monnaie in Brussels, Don Iñigo (L'Heure espagnole) at Glyndebourne and Matsumoto, the Athlete (Lulu) at Madrid's Teatro Real, Don Pedro (Béatrice et Bénédict) at the Bordeaux Berlioz Festival, Sparafucile (Rigoletto) in Rouen, the Marquis la Force (Dialogues des carmélites) at the Glyndebourne Festival. At the Opéra national de Paris: Juliette ou la clé des songes (l'Homme au casque / le Bagnard / le Marchand de souvenirs), 2006; Salomé (Deuxième Nazaréen), 2006; L'Affaire Makropoulos (Maître Kolenaty), 2007; Don Carlo (a monk), 2008; Fidelio (Don Fernando), 2008; La Petite Renarde rusée (Harasta), 2008, 2010; Yvonne, princesse de Bourgogne (le Roi Ignace), 2009; Billy Budd (Mr Flint), 2010 ; Faust (Mephisopheles), 2011; Manon (Count des Grieux), 2012; Rigoletto (Count of Monterone), 2012; Giulio Cesare (Achilla), 2013; Les Capulet et les Montaigu (Capellio), 2014 ; Le Cid (Don Diego), 2015 ; Pelléas et Mélisande (Golaud), 2015 ; Werther (the Beadle), 2016 ; Les Contes d'Hoffmann (Crespel / Luther), 2016 ; Les Huguenots (the Count of Saint-Bris), 2018 ; Otello (Lodovico), 2019

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Nicolas Marie has been a member of the Paris Opera Chorus since 1997 and has performed roles in Turandot, The Love of Three Oranges, Un Ballo in maschero, Il Trovatore, Louise and The Cunning Little Vixen. As a soloist he regularly gives recitals of lieder and has participated in numerous concerts, performing works such as Mozart’s Requiem, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle conducted by Michel Piquemal, the Stabat Mater by Rossini, Bach’s Magnificat, Nuits d’été by Berlioz with the Ensemble Philarmonique de Paris, Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde conducted by Joël Houssard, Puccini’s Missa di Gloria and Handel’s Messiah. At the theatre in Brest, he performed the role of Turridu in Cavalleria Rusticana. He is also a member of the vocal ensemble Canto Allegre, a group specialising in Bach cantatas.

Marie.Nicolas

Trained at the Atelier lyrique de l'Opéra national de Paris Member of the Chœurs de l'Opéra national de ParisAnne-Sophie Ducret graduated with a gold medal in violin, voice, music theory and music history from the Conservatoire à rayonnement régional d'Annecy. She also won a singing prize at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Lyon. She holds a degree in musicology. She was concertmaster of the Orchestre Régional des Jeunes de Rhône-Alpes and took part in orchestral sessions at the Ochsenhausen Academy.In September 2000, she joined the Atelier lyrique de l'Opéra national de Paris. She sang Juliette (Juliette ou la clé des songes) during the dress rehearsal at the Palais Garnier.She also sang the roles of Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte) at the Chorégies d'Orange and Blanche (Dialogues des carmélites) in Saint-Jean-de-Luz. She also excels in oratorio, giving recitals of French mélodies at the Opéra national de Lyon Amphithéâtre, the Abbaye de Royaumont and the Biennale de la voix in Clermont-Ferrand. She was a member of the 20th-century workshop at the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique de Lyon.She has won numerous competitions: the AROP lyric prize, first prize for opera at the Symphonies d'Automne de Mâcon, the Adami Oratorio prize in Clermont-Ferrand, the opera, melody and audience prizes at the Voix d'Or de Metz, first prize for contemporary melody in Mâcon with orchestra and piano. She plays the role of the singer in Bruno Chiche's film Hell. She sang Brahms's Liebeslieder opus 52 and opus 65, as part of a ballet choreographed by Balanchine at the Palais Garnier.At the Opéra national de Paris: Rigoletto (la Contessa), 2001; La Femme sans ombre (eine Kinderstimme), 2003; La Petite Renarde rusée (la Femme de l'aubergiste), 2010; Le Triptyque (Un'amante, Prima conversa), 2010; Tannhäuser (Edelknaben), 2011; L'Enfant et les Sortilèges (un animal), 2013; Elektra (Dienerin), 2013; Cendrillon (un Esprit) 2022, 2023

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Letitia Singleton

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natacha constantin

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Member of the Chœurs de l'Opéra national de ParisBorn in Poland, Slawomir Szychowiak studied voice and theater at the National Conservatory of Music in Poznan. He won the Student Song Festival in Krakow in 1986 and the Special Prize at the Actors' Song Festival in Wroclaw in 1987. As a soloist, he appeared in several Polish opera productions and TV recordings, including the 1990 film Crazy Girl about George Gershwin and the 1991 film Najdzielniejszy z rycerzy about Krzysztof Penderecki.In 1993, he moved to France. During the 1995-1996 and 1996-1997 seasons, he was a member of the Chœurs de l'Opéra national de Lyon. He joined the Opéra national de Paris Chorus in 1997, and has since appeared as soloist in a number of productions.At the Opéra national de Paris: Billy Budd (Arthur Jones), 2001; La Traviata (Commissionario), 2004; La Dame de pique (Narumov), 2005; De la maison des morts (le Pope), 2005; Guerre et Paix (Second German General), 2005; La Juive (le Bourreau), 2007; La Traviata (Domestico), 2007, 2020; La Petite Renarde rusée (the Badger), 2010; La Force du destin (Alcune ordinanze), 2011; Arabella (un serviteur), 2012; Madame Butterfly (Il Commisarrio imperiale), 2015; Capriccio (Acht Diener), 2016; Don Pasquale (un notaro), 2023

Slawomir Szychowiak

Born in Paris, where she studied classical dance and jazz, Françoise Grès became a soloist with the Ballet Jazz Georges Reich company and took part in music-hall and operetta shows at the Olympia. This was followed by two years in New York, where she danced in Robert Dhéry's show La Plume de ma tante. After a stint in Las Vegas, she became assistant on Marlène Dietrich's show in Paris.In 1969, she took part in the film L'Homme-orchestre. From 1971, she turned more to choreography, working with Roger Planchon (La Langue au chat, Par-dessus bord, Folies bourgeoises) and Jérôme Savary (Mélodies du malheur). She helped direct Tino Rossi's last show at the Casino de Paris. Françoise Grès also choreographed Un bal masqué, Manon and La Traviata (Grand Théâtre de Genève), directed by Jean-Marie SimonShe works regularly with André Engel (Kafka, théâtre comple.t in Strasbourg, Salomé in Cardiff, Wedekind's Lulu, Don Giovanni in Lausanne and Bordeaux, La Force de l'habitude at Théâtre Vidy in Lausanne, The Rake's Progress at Opéra de Lausanne, La Petite Renarde rusée at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées).At the Opéra national de Paris: Rigoletto, 1988; Lady Macbeth de Mzensk, 1991; Benvenuto Cellini, 1993; Salomé, 1994; La Traviata, 1997; Cardillac, 2005; La Petite Renarde rusée, 2008

Born in New York, Nicky Rieti has lived and worked in France since 1972 as a painter and set designer for theater and opera. He has designed sets for numerous theatrical productions in Paris (Théâtre National de Chaillot, Théâtre National de la Colline, MC93 de Bobigny, Théâtre de Gennevilliers, Théâtre de la Bastille, Odéon-Théâtre de l'Europe) and in the provinces (notably at the Théâtre national de Strasbourg, under the direction of Jean-Pierre Vincent, where he pioneered theater hors-les-murs experiments by installing shows in disused factories, stud farms, open spaces and public buildings).He works mainly with André Engel, for whom he has designed the sets for all his theater productions since 1974 and opera since 1988, but also with Bernard Sobel (Ostrovski's The Forest, Napoleon or the Hundred Days by C. Dietrich Gable), Jean Jourdheuil, Jean-François Peyret and André Wilms. He painted a fresco for the ceiling of the Petit-Odéon during the Théâtre Feuilleton project (1993/1995).At the Opéra national de Paris: Mzensk's Lady Macbeth, 1991; Salomé, 1994; K..., 2001; Cardillac, 2005; Louise, 2007; La Petite Renarde rusée, 2008.

Elisabeth Neumuller studied plastic and decorative arts at the University of Strasbourg and set design at the École du Théâtre National de Strasbourg. She has worked as a set and costume designer since 1982, while continuing to paint.She made her debut at the Festival d'Avignon with the sets and costumes for Peines d'amour perdues and Dernières Nouvelles de la peste, directed by Jean-Pierre Vincent, then designed those for Didon et Énée at the Opéra de Strasbourg. She has frequently collaborated with André Engel: Venise sauvée (Festival d'Avignon), La Nuit des chasseurs after Büchner's Woyzeck (La Colline - théâtre national), Le Livre de Job (Théâtre National de Chaillot), Salomé (Cardiff, La Scala de Milan, Opéra national de Paris), Der Freischütz and Carmen (Cardiff), Büchner's Leonce and Lena (Odéon-Théâtre de l'Europe), La Petite Renarde rusée (Opéra de Lyon, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées).She has also worked with Moshe Leiser and Patrice Caurier (Armide, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées and Opéra des Flandres), Jean-Louis Martinelli (L'Église de Céline, Nanterre-Amandiers), Jean-Pierre Vincent (Büchner's Woyzeck, Théâtre du Rond-Point), Claude Yersin (Mesure pour mesure, Nouveau Théâtre d'Angers), Sylvain Maurice (Macbeth, Théâtre de Gennevilliers), Geneviève de Kermabon (Richard III, Le Grand Cabaret de la peur, Grande Halle de la Villette), Charles Tordjman (Le Misanthrope, Centre Dramatique national de Nancy).Since 2008, she has devoted herself almost exclusively to painting and sculpture.At the Opéra national de Paris: Salomé, 1994; La Petite Renarde rusée, 2008

French theater director of photography and lighting designer André Diot played an important role in the emergence of this profession in France. He worked extensively with Patrice Chéreau. In 1967, in Les Soldats by Jakob Lenz, their first joint production, he introduced HMI projectors, usually reserved for cinema or sporting events, to the stage. Until the mid-1980s, he used black and white, backlighting and shadows to create the chiaroscuro, twilight and poetic atmosphere on stage that would become the hallmark of the Diot-Chéreau tandem. From this time onwards, André Diot worked with other directors, including Philippe Avron, Jean Jourdheuil, Roger Planchon, Jean-Pierre Vincent, Jacques Weber, Peter Zadek, Matthias Langhoff, Zabou Breitman (Roland Topor's L'Hiver sous la table, Molière 2004 for best lighting designer), and others. He continued to work in television and, from 1980 onwards, in film (notably with Maurice Dugowson and Michel Deville). He has worked with the greatest opera directors: Jean-Louis Martinoty, Jean-Marie Simon, Roman Polanski, René Allio, Marcel Bluwal, Simone Amouyal. He has created the lighting for most of André Engel's shows, including Venise sauvée, La Nuit des chasseurs, Le Livre de Job, Salomé, Denis Levaillant's OPA Mia, Légendes de la forêt viennoise, Le Baladin du monde occidental, Don Giovanni, The Rake's Progress, La Force de l'habitude, Woyzeck, Le Réformateur, Le Roi Lear (Molière 2006 for best lighting designer), La Petite Catherine de Heilbronn, Minetti after Thomas Bernhard... In 2010, he created the lighting for Shakespeare's The Tragedy of King Richard II, directed by Jean-Baptiste Sastre at the Avignon Festival (Cour d'honneur du Palais des Papes).At the Opéra national de Paris: lighting design for numerous productions, including Rigoletto, 1988; Mzensk's Lady Macbeth, 1991; Les Contes d'Hoffmann, 1992; Salomé, 1994; Così fan tutte, 1996; Cardillac, 2005; La Petite Renarde rusée, 2008; Werther, 2010; L'Enlèvement au sérail, 2014

After studying Piano and Composition at the G.B. Martini Conservatoire in Bologna, Alessandro Di Stefano began his career as a concert pianist. Awarded a grant by the G. Verdi Conservatoire of Milan, he specialised in chamber music and operatic repertoire and took part in numerous recitals.&nbsp;Discovering an increasing interest in choral conducting, he continued his studies with Franco Monego at the Milan Conservatoire where he obtained first prize for conducting and choir training and took part in master classes with Aldo Ceccato and Piero Bellugi.&nbsp;In 2000, whilst continuing to pursue his career as a concert pianist and accompanist, he joined the Nice Opera company as vocal coach and was appointed assistant chorus master. He also worked as vocal coach for Traviata at the Antibes Festival and participated in a number of operatic productions for the Chorégies d’Orange. He conducted the Nice Opera Orchestra on numerous occasions, notably during the Nice Baroque Festival. In 2004, he joined the Paris Opera as Assistant Chorus master, since when he has worked alongside a number of prestigious conductors including Philippe Jordan, Daniel Oren, Evelino Pido, Renato Palumbo, Jiří Bělohlávek, Semyon Bychkov, Gustav Kuhn, Michail Jurowski and Kent Nagano. From 2007 to 2009, he was Chorus master and in 2008 accompanied the Opera Chorus to Japan on a tour featuring Tristan and Isolde and Ariane et Barbe-Bleue conducted by Semyon Bychkov and Lylvain Cambreling.Alessandro Di Stefano has now participated in over 50 Paris Opera productions and numerous radio broadcasts for France Musique and Radio Classique as well as various audiovisual recordings.&nbsp;He is currently Assistant Chorus master at the Paris Opera.&nbsp;In 2015, he was appointed Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the Minister of Culture Fleur Pellerin.

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The Cunning Little Vixen: the true/false story

The Cunning Little Vixen, from 15 January to 1 February 2025 at the Opéra Bastille

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The Cunning Little Vixen: the true/false story

The Cunning Little Vixen, from 15 January to 1 February 2025 at the Opéra Bastille