Leos Janacek's 'Jenufa'
WHO'S WHO?
Patricia Racette ........... Jenufa
Catherine Malfitano ... Kostelnicka
Raymond Very ............. Steva
Kim Begley ......... Laca Klemen
Judith Christin ...... Grandmother
Jeffrey Wells ........... Foreman
Leslie Mutchler ........ Karolka
Charles Robert Austin .... Mayor
Janice Meyerson ... Mayor's Wife
Elizabeth Andrews Roberts ... Jano
The Washington National Opera Orchestra and Chorus
Jiri Belohlavek, conductor
Domingo on 'Jenufa'
Placido Domingo, General Director of the Washington National Opera, discusses Jenufa with host Lisa Simeone.
Leos Janacek's 'Jenufa'
Toggle more optionsTHE HIT SINGLE
In Act Two, a confused Jenufa wakes from a drugged sleep to find her newborn baby missing. As she sings a profoundly moving prayer for the child, Kostelnicka returns to tell her that the infant has died.
Patricia Racette sings Jenufa's Prayer, with Catherine Malfitano
Audio for this story is unavailable.Patricia Racette
The soprano discusses Janacek's opera, and its complex title character.
On Jenufa's Prayer
Toggle more optionsForgiveness
Toggle more optionsJenufa the Dreamer
Toggle more optionsJanacek's Music
Toggle more optionsIf you only knew operas from reading their stories on the printed page — without listening to the music — the world of non-comic opera might seem like a uniformly dark and dreadful place. Just think about how many operas there are that feature betrayal, emotional anguish and violent death as key elements.
But in any opera, the written story is only part of the picture. Add great music to that story, and you often wind up with a drama in which anguish and violence are transformed, becoming the means of profound and truly beautiful expressions of the human condition.
There are plenty of examples, ranging from the straightforward, verismo operas we often think of as guilty pleasures, to the complex dramas of Mozart, Verdi and Strauss. And we've got one of the best examples of them all right here.
Janacek's Jenufa revolves around one of the worst crimes portrayed in any opera, the drowning of a newborn infant in an icy river. It's an act driven by narrowmindedness and cowardice — but also by love. And remarkably, the overall theme of the opera is forgiveness. When the title character's child is murdered by her own stepmother, Jenufa reacts not with calls for vengeance, but with tender absolution — set to some of Janacek's most radiant music.
On World of Opera, host Lisa Simeone brings us a production from the Washington National Opera starring soprano Patricia Racette, one of today's foremost interpreters of the title role. Lisa also talks with the opera company's general director, Placido Domingo, about the opera and Racette's stunning portrayal of Jenufa. And we hear from Racette herself, discussing the complexities of her role and the unique beauties of Janacek's music.
Web Resources
The Washington National Opera Soprano Patricia Racette Composer Leos JanacekncG1vNJzZmivp6x7r7zRZ6arn19nfXGDjmpnaGhlZH51hZhraGxqX6GysL%2BMo5inmZOauLR5yZ6lrp6R