Cunning Little Vixen 1970National Theatre, Prague
Read more about the opera Cunning Little Vixen
This staging was a product of the same team who mounted a supremely successful production of From the House of the Dead at the 1964 Festival - and it is difficult to imagine a greater contrast of subject or of style.
Perhaps for that reason this Scottish premiere seemed to err visually on the side of tweeness and sentimentality. But the singing was uniformly excellent, with Helena Tattermuschová an outstanding Vixen.
Opera at the Edinburgh Festival - 1970
1970 saw a very successful mix of operas at the Festival. The Czechs from Prague's National Theatre, returning after the success of their 1964 visit, once more brought five productions. There was again a British premiere, The Excursions of Mr Brouček. The others were the popular Bartered Bride, Dalibor (repeated from 1964), and two works familiar in London, but new to Scotland - The Cunning Little Vixen and The Makropulos Case. or Affair as it was billed here. The two other Festival operas were also great rarities. Proceedings opened with the Frankfurt Opera, who brought their controversial staging of Prokofiev's Fiery Angel. The director and designer were the Czech pair responsible for Dalibor (and the 1964 Rusalka). Scottish Opera's excellent contribution was just as enterprising - Henze's acerbic Elegy for Young Lovers, directed by the composer himself.
In summary, the operas were: Smetana (Bartered Bride, Dalibor); Janáček (Adventures of Mr Brouček, Cunning Little Vixen, Makropulos Case); Prokofiev (Fiery Angel); Henze (Elegy for Young Lovers).
The performance schedule was as follows:
First week, commencing 24 Aug: Mon Fiery Angel; Tue Elegy for Young Lovers; Wed Fiery Angel; Thu Elegy for Young Lovers; Fri -; Sat Elegy for Young Lovers.
Second week, commencing 31 Aug: Mon Bartered Bride; Tue Dalibor; Wed Cunning Little Vixen; Thu Makropulos Case; Fri Bartered Bride; Sat Excursions of Mr Brouček.
Third week, commencing 7 Sep: Mon Dalibor; Tue Makropulos Case; Wed Excursions of Mr Brouček; Thu Cunning Little Vixen; Fri Bartered Bride; Sat Dalibor.
