Search - Leos Janacek, Charles Mackerras, Libuse Marova :: Cunning Little Vixen

Reprint of a classic recording

Jeffrey Jones | Northern California, USA | 10/20/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a reprint of a studio performance recorded in Vienna in 1981 and originally transferred to CD in 1990. A full libretto and synopsis is still included in the set. The music remains as fresh as the day it was written, and the passionate, vibrant, committed performance has held up over a full seven years of listenings. The musical samples available in the other listing for the CD will apply to this lower-priced reprint as well. The sound is not at all bad, with rich strings and exotic-sounding woodwinds popping out against the impeccable diction and energy of the singers."

Totally charming Janacek opera for the young at heart

Ellie | North Shore of Boston, USA | 02/12/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am not an academic or professional musician so this is just the review of someone who has loved classical music since childhood. How I managed to go a lifetime without hearing this, I don't know. But I was immediately charmed by this Czech opera expertly sung and with a top orchestra.



The leitmotif is simple but unforgetable. Janacek based this amazing work on a comic strip story, no less. Wrote his own libretto and utterly charming music about a vixen and her kits giving a comeuppance to the gamekeeper. Won't give the ending away, but she wins in the end.



The singing is superb. This is not anything like a German or Italian opera. Nor is it atonal. It is highly creative and very satisfying to listen to repeatedly. You'll want to put this on your iPod, it's that enjoyable.



Highly recommended."