Òpera Jenůfa

New production of Leoš Janáček's opera Jenůfa, staged by Àlex Ollé, with musical direction by Jonathan Nott and a cast led by Asmik Grigorian and Nina Stemme, at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.

Leoš Janáček's opera follows Jenůfa, a young woman from a closed rural community, wounded by love and shame. Her stepmother, the Kostelnička, embodies a merciless law and the stern voice of the community and of religion. Her decision to end the life of Jenůfa's illegitimate son, carried out in the name of an imposed honour, sets off the devastating consequences of the drama.

Àlex Ollé's staging raises the question of how far moral fanaticism can go and whether an imposed sacrifice can justify the destruction of innocence. Janáček's music, direct, lyrical and strongly spiritual in character, accompanies both lines: the vocal writing gives the characters a tragic dimension, while the orchestra traces their thoughts and anguish. Jonathan Nott conducts the performance, with Asmik Grigorian and Nina Stemme leading the cast.

The work ends with a gesture of forgiveness. When the heroine forgives the Kostelnička, the drama becomes a spiritual tragedy in which compassion prevails over dogma.