Staatsoper Berlin, Season 2024/25
“DIE AUSFLÜGE DES HERRN BROUCEK”
Opera in two parts. Text and music from Leoš Janáček
Matěj Brouček PETER HOARE
Mazal, Blankytný, Petřík ALES BRISCEIN
Sakristan, Lunobor, Domšík von der Glocke GYULA ORENDT
Málinka, Etherea, Kunka LUCY CROWE
Würfl, Čaroskvoucí, Schöffe CARLES PACHON
Hilfskellner, Wunderkind, Student CLARA NADESHDIN
Keddruta NATALIA SKRYCKA
Dichter, Oblačný, Vacek ARTTU KATAJA
Maler, Stimme des Professors, Duhoslav, Vojta STEPHAN RUGAMER
Komponist, Harfoboj, Miroslav LINASRD VRIELINK
Svatopluk Čech GYULA ORENDT
Staastopernchor, Staatskapelle Berlin
Musical Director Simon Rattle
Chorus Master Gerhard Polifka
Director Robert Carsen
Set Design Radu Boruzescu
Costumes Annemarie Woods
Light Robert Carsen, Peter van Praet
Video Dominik Žižka
Choreography Rebecca Howell
Dramaturgy Elisabeth Kühne
Berlin, 27 march 2025
“A paean to Prague with a critical eye on it’s people. In this co-production with the National Theater of Brno, Janacek’s ‘Home Theater”, the Staatsoper Berlin and the Teatro Real of Madrid, director Robert Carsen has created a modern televised version of Janacek’s 1920 ‘Prague’ opera. Using much original television footage from the 1969 moon landing for the first part, as well as many televised clips from the tragic ‘Prague Spring’ of 1968-9, we are treated to an entertaining spectacle that is spiritually not distant from Janacek’s original settings. Intended by the composer as a biting social critique of a grasping small minded landlord, audiences, and even the original author never saw it that way, and were mildly amused by the antics of the main character, Broucek. Simon Rattle and the Berlin Staatskappelle, however, made this much more than a lighthearted evening. They expressed Janacek’s huge palette of musical sounds, structures and gestures – sometimes accompanying, sometimes commenting, sometimes lyrically – with clarity, subtlety and rich, surprising sound. Janacek’s music is largely based on short rhythmic motifs from the Czech language and resembles one of those remarkable Lego constructions. It consists of small blocks, put together in infinite combinations, and assembled into a coherent structure. Rattle and the orchestra thoroughly understood these structures, giving them all distinct character and dynamic. The Berlin evening started with a large video projection of an old Czechoslovakian TV test pattern, ad opens onto a tavern where Broucek and the other patrons are drinking beer, loudly socializing and watching the 1969 Apollo moon landing on the corner TV, as is the audience on a large video projection over the stage. Remaining true to the original concept of the opera and using original television footage of real events, Carsen draws the audience into Broucek’s inebriated fantasy. The unattractive title character swills too much beer and crawls into a large beer cask, which Carsen cleverly turns into a faux Saturn V rocket which, flames spouting from it’s engines, ends the scene by taking off for the moon. Again television videos of the approaching lunar landscape appear from the first moon landing, and Janacek’s fascinating and lovely music plays underneath. Broucek lands on a bare stage, which shortly morphs into a “Moonstock”, reflecting the “Summer of Love” which was taking place concurrently and whose values are embodied in Janacek’s original scene. Of course the tavern denizens reappear in different guises since this is really Broucek’s fantasy. Much singing, dancing and fascination with the exotic Earthling ensues, but Broucek’s boorishness repulses and he is repulsed in turn and returns to Earth in his rocket assisted beer barrel. Janacek’s return music, accompanied again by original footage of the return to Earth, is truly beautiful, and though written some 60 years before, captures the wonders of spaceflight. The second half of the opera originally involved Broucek’s time travel to the 15^th century Prague resistance against foreign domination, known as the Hussite rebellion. Carsen has updated it to the heroic and tragic ‘Prague Spring’ of 1968. Here too he uses videos of original television footage of the uprising and subsequent Soviet led repression to vividly remind us that repression and resistance are not new to Central Europe. A video portrait of the young self immolator Jan Palach tells us that even in modern times this is a part of Prague’s history. Broucek, being a coward, hides in fear, but back in the safety of the tavern claims credit for bravery and heroic deeds. As craven and small minded as the character of Broucek is, the role is large, long and difficult. Very high for the tenor, it repeatedly centers around G# or A above the staff. Written for a character tenor with a high extension, Janacek offers few lyrical moments.The tenor Peter Hoare handled these demands handsomely all evening with a concentrated, penetrating sound and used the language well. He occasionally smeared some of the vocal lines, but pumped out full throated high notes when called upon. A very impressive performance. Lucy Crowe sang the roles of Malinka, Etherea and Kunka the women with whom Broucek is unsuccessfully involved, with a full rich soprano. The roles tended to make large vocal leaps which showed her strength and warmth, but she seemed more interested in displaying size than singing with line, although this may have been the result of the vocal writing. As her lover Mazel, tenor Aleš Briscein displayed an even, bright voice which also had no trouble with the high tessitura of his short role. As the Sacristan, as well as Čech the poet, baritone Gyula Orendt had the one extended lyric moment of the evening, showing off his warm slavic voice. The set by Radu Boruzescu, and lighting by Carsen himself and Peter van Praet, succeeded in recreating a cavernous, dimly lit tavern where Praguers of the time gathered. The cigarette smoke hanging over the stage at the beginning was a nice touch. Annemarie Woods’ Moonstock costumes were fanciful, and the grainy but clearly recognizable historic videos by Dominik Žižka gave content and form to otherwise abstract historical moments.The evening, whatever the flaws of the characters, brings us to a better understanding of this remarkable Czech composer and the city he loved. Photo Arno Declair