''Destiny'' (also known as ''Fate'', ) is an
opera
Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...
in three acts by
Leoš Janáček
Leoš Janáček (, 3 July 1854 – 12 August 1928) was a Czech composer, Music theory, music theorist, Folkloristics, folklorist, publicist, and teacher. He was inspired by Moravian folk music, Moravian and other Slavs, Slavic music, includin ...
to a Czech
libretto
A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...
by the composer and
Fedora Bartošová. Janáček began the work in 1903 and completed it in 1907. The inspiration for the opera came from a visit by Janáček in the summer of 1903, after the death of his daughter Olga, to the spa at
Luhačovice
Luhačovice (; ) is a spa town in Zlín District in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,000 inhabitants. It is known for the largest spa in Moravia and for architecturally valuable buildings designed by the architect Dušan Jurko ...
. There, Janáček met
Kamila Urválková, who had been the subject of an opera by
Ludvík Čelanský
Ludvík or Ludvik is a given name. Notable people with the name include:
*Ludvík Aškenazy (1921–1986), Czech writer and journalist
*Ludvik Buland (1893–1945), Norwegian trade unionist
*Ludvík Čelanský (1870–1931), Czech conductor and co ...
, ''Kamila'', where she felt that Čelanský had falsely depicted her personality. After learning that Janáček was a composer, Urválková persuaded Janáček to write another opera to counteract Čelanský's portrait of her.
[Tyrrell, John, "Janáček's ''Fate''" (January 1972). ''The Musical Times'', 113 (1547): pp. 34–37.]
Janáček submitted the opera to the Brno Theatre in 1906, and to the Vinohrady Theatre in Prague in 1907, but both theatres rejected the score. The score stayed with the Vinohrady Theatre even after Janáček had threatened lawsuits against the theatre and after the Brno theatre made offers of a possible production.
The work did not receive a hearing until after Janáček's death, in
1934
Events
January–February
* January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established.
* January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...
on
Brno Radio.
Performance history
''Osud'' was given in concert form in Brno in 1934, 1948
[Desmond Shawe-Taylor. Janáček celebrations at Brno. '']Opera
Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...
'', January 1959, Vol.10 No.1, p18-24. and 1954, all conducted by
Břetislav Bakala.
[Simeone, Nigel. Note accompanying 'Břetislav Bakala conducts Janáček - The legendary Brno Radio opera broadcasts and other recordings'. CRQ Editions, 2017.] The first staging was in 1958 in
Brno
Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...
, conducted by
František Jílek, as part of a complete cycle of operas at the 1958 Janáček Festival, in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of Janáček's death. However, the structure of the plot was altered from the original to give the story a "flashback" format, where the story begins with Act 3 and interpolates Act 1 and Act 2 as the "flashbacks", before returning to finish Act 3.
One day after the Brno stage premiere, a version where the libretto was considerably revised (by
Kurt Honolka) was produced at
Stuttgart Opera.
The first UK staging was in 1984 at
English National Opera
English National Opera (ENO) is a British opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in E ...
, produced by
David Pountney
Sir David Willoughby Pountney (born 10 September 1947) is a British-Polish theatre and opera director and libretto, librettist internationally known for his productions of rarely performed operas and new productions of classic works. He has di ...
, in a translation by
Rodney Blumer, but with Janáček's original plot structure intact. The first US production was in July 2003 at the
Bard Summerscape Festival. Scholars have criticised weaknesses in the plot as the reason for the opera's neglect.
Roles
Synopsis
Act 1
Míla and the composer Živný were once lovers, but Míla's mother ended the relationship in hopes of a more advantageous match for her daughter. Alas, Míla was already pregnant and is now a single mother, unlikely to marry anyone else. She and Živný meet again for the first time amid the amusements of a spa town. They sneak off together and rekindle their love, but her mother tracks them down in the crowd and predicts disaster.
Act 2
Four years later Živný and Míla are married, but her mother lives with them and has become mentally fragile. While their young son Doubek plays, the couple read through the unfinished opera Živný began during their separation. It is filled with bitterness against Míla, portraying her as faithless. Míla's mother, losing her mind completely, repeats snatches of music from the opera before rushing to throw herself off a balcony. Attempting to restrain her mother, Míla too is pulled over, and both are killed.
Act 3
Eleven years later, Živný's opera is at last to be performed, although it remains unfinished. He rehearses a chorus from the opera with his students, among them Doubek, now a young man. Another student, Verva, guesses that the hero of the opera is the composer himself. Through the music, Živný again relives his love for Míla and his cruelty to her. Tormented by regret, he asks Doubek to fetch a glass of water and then collapses, saying that the end of the opera must remain in God's hands. Doubek escorts him from the room.
Recordings
* CRQ Editions: Burja Burian, Marie Bakalová, Marie Steinerová, Josef Válka, Frantisek Roesler; Brno Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by
Břetislav Bakala (reissue of Czech Radio Brno broadcast 4/6 December 1948)
* CRQ Editions: Jaroslav Ulrych, Libuše Domaninská, Marie Steinerová, Jaroslav Jaroš, Frantisek Roesler; Brno Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Břetislav Bakala (reissue of Czech Radio Brno broadcast 30 September 1954)
*
Supraphon
Supraphon Music Publishing is a Czech record label, oriented mainly towards publishing classical music and popular music, with an emphasis on Czech and Slovak composers.
History
The Supraphon name was first registered as a trademark in 1932. Th ...
SU 0045-2 611: Jarmila Palivcová, Jindřich Doubek, Jindřich Doubek, Daniela Suryová, Marie Steinerová,
Vilém Přibyl, Josef Škrobánek, Vladimír Krejčík, Jiří Holešovský, Antonín Jurečka, Jiří Olejníček,
Jaroslav Souček, Richard Novák, František Caban, Anna Barová, Jaroslava Janská, Jarmila Hladíková, Jindra Pokorná, Jarmila Krátká, Zdenka Kareninová, Milena Jílková,
Magdaléna Hajóssyová, Magda Polášková; Brno Janáček Opera Orchestra and Chorus;
František Jílek, conductor (recorded 1975)
*
Orfeo C 384 951 A:
Peter Straka,
Lívia Ághová
Lívia Ághová (born 7 October 1963) is a Slovak opera singer. She has been a principal soprano at the National Theatre in Prague since 1988. Her career has also taken her to many of the best opera houses and concert halls in North America an ...
,
Marta Beňačková,
Štefan Margita,
Peter Mikuláš,
Ivan Kusnjer,
Ludmila Nováková-Vernerová, Martina Straková, Věra Přibylová, Lubomír Moravec, Richard Sporka, Lenka Kučerová, Vladimír Nacházel, Eva Zbytovská;
Prague Chamber Choir, Chorus Masters Josef Pančík;
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
The Czech Philharmonic () is a symphony orchestra based in Prague. Its principal performing venue is the Rudolfinum concert hall.
History
The name "Czech Philharmonic Orchestra" appeared for the first time in 1894, as the title of the orche ...
,
Gerd Albrecht
Gerd Albrecht (19 July 1935 – 2 February 2014) was a German conductor.
Biography
Albrecht was born in Essen, the son of the musicologist Hans Albrecht (1902–1961). He studied music in Kiel and in Hamburg, where his teachers included Wilhel ...
, conductor (live recording 1995)
*
Chandos CHAN3029 (sung in English): Helen Field,
Philip Langridge
Philip Gordon Langridge (16 December 1939 – 5 March 2010)Millington (7 March 2010) was an English tenor, considered to be among the foremost exponents of English opera and oratorio.
Early life
Langridge was born in Hawkhurst, Kent, educ ...
, Kathryn Harries, Peter Bronder, Stuart Kale,
Barry Mora
Reginald Barry Mora (15 November 1940 – 11 October 2021) was a New Zealand classical baritone who had an active international career in concerts and operas from the mid-1970s through the 1990s. Retired from the stage, he was a member of the boar ...
, Christine Teare, Elizabeth Gaskell, Dorothy Hood, Catriona Bell, Mark Holland, Rebecca Moseley-Morgan, Samuel Linay, Michael Preston-Roberts, Yolande Jones, Cheryl Edwards, Mary Davies, Gaynor Keeble, Gareth Rhys-Davies, Philip Lloyd-Evans,
Ralph Mason, Timothy German, Frances Manning;
Welsh National Opera
Welsh National Opera (WNO) () is an opera company based in Cardiff, Wales. WNO gave its first performances in 1946. The company began as a mainly amateur body and transformed into an all-professional ensemble by 1973. In its early days, the ...
Orchestra and Chorus; Sir
Charles Mackerras
Sir Alan Charles MacLaurin Mackerras (; (17 November 1925 – 14 July 2010) was an American-born Australian conductor. He was an authority on the operas of Janáček and Mozart, and the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan. He was long associ ...
, conductor (recorded 1989)
References
;Notes
;Sources
* Tyrrell, John, '' "Osud" '' in ''
New Grove Dictionary of Opera
''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' is an encyclopedia of opera. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volumes.
The dictionary was first published in 1992 by Macmillan Reference, L ...
'', Ed. Stanley Sadie, London, 1992
External links
Gavin Plumley's Leoš Janáček site, information on Osud
{{DEFAULTSORT:Destiny (Janacek)
Czech-language operas
Operas by Leoš Janáček
Operas
1907 operas
1934 operas