{"id":48078,"date":"2024-10-04T16:10:23","date_gmt":"2024-10-04T14:10:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4acc9050-212e-4194-af41-94e56e1fa268"},"modified":"2024-10-04T17:07:15","modified_gmt":"2024-10-04T15:07:15","slug":"leos-janacek-five-of-his-most-sinister-works","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/rss_feed\/leos-janacek-five-of-his-most-sinister-works\/","title":{"rendered":"Leo\u0161 Jan\u00e1\u010dek: five of his most sinister works"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Published: Friday, 04 October 2024 at 14:10 PM<\/p>

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Czech composer Leo\u0161 Jan\u00e1\u010dek<\/a> <\/strong>was known for writing music inspired by Moravian and Slavic folk themes. Fascinatingly, however, Jan\u00e1\u010dek couples these leanings with a preoccupation with rather sinister themes. A significant body of his work is built around grisly themes – death, betrayal and oppression being among them. We thought we’d take a deep dive into five works that show Jan\u00e1\u010dek at his most ominous. It’s a Jan\u00e1\u010dek darkest works top five!<\/p>

The best Czech composers of all time<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul>
Jan\u00e1\u010dek: his darkest and most sinister works<\/h2>
1. <\/strong>K\u00e1\u0165a\u00a0Kabanov\u00e1<\/em><\/strong><\/em> (1921)<\/strong><\/h3>
Even though Jan\u00e1\u010dek was 67 when he wrote K\u00e1\u0165a Kabanov\u00e1<\/em>, it is widely considered to be his first mature opera. It tells the story of a young woman trapped in a loveless marriage and surrounded by stifling social conventions: K\u00e1\u0165a\u2019s controlling mother-in-law keeps an oppressively close watch on her. <\/p>
In her husband\u2019s absence K\u00e1\u0165a embarks on a brief affair, but soon confesses upon his return. Racked with guilt, she throws herself into the sea during a violent storm. <\/p>
Jan\u00e1\u010dek dedicated the work to his unrequited love Kamila St\u00f6sslov\u00e1. The opera\u2019s short, intense scenes are an outpouring of Jan\u00e1\u010dek-style passion in a largely one-sided affair.<\/p>
<\/div><\/figure><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2. <em>Jen\u016ffa<\/em><\/strong> <strong>(1896-1902)<\/strong><\/h3><p>Jan\u00e1\u010dek wrote his own libretto for this opera, one of the first to be written entirely in prose. It is based on Gabriella Preissova\u2019s realist play <em>Her Stepdaughter<\/em>. A harrowing tale of infanticide and domestic violence, the opera sees Jen\u016ffa transform from the most beautiful girl in her village to a disfigured mother left to raise her baby alone. <\/p><p>The perpetrator of her disfigurement is Laca, motivated by jealousy of her love for \u0160teva. After \u0160teva flees, the girl’s stepmother worries that she will never marry so lies to Laca that the baby is dead. When Laca agrees to marry Jen\u016ffa the stepmother is faced with the consequences of her lie and the final act reveals the body of a baby in the melting snow.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Jan\u00e1\u010dek: Jenufa's Prayer, Asmik Grigorian - Vienna 2022\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1-d2hNfUyNM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3. <em>Taras Bulba<\/em><\/strong> <strong>(1915-18)<\/strong><\/h3><p>Jan\u00e1\u010dek based this programmatic rhapsody for orchestra on three episodes from Nikolai Gogol’s novel<em> <\/em>of the same name. The story follows the death of the Ukrainian Cossack leader Taras Bulba and his two sons, during a war against neighbouring Poland in 1628. <\/p><p>The turbulent score features a violent battle scene and a merciless execution, ending with a rousing passage for brass, organ and bells that represents the eponymous character being led away to be burnt to death. The work, composed between 1915-1918, was inspired in part by the huge loss of life during World War One. <\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Jan\u00e1\u010dek: Taras Bulba \u2219 hr-Sinfonieorchester \u2219 Andr\u00e9s Orozco-Estrada\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/D3zsZ2XG-1w?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">More darkest works by Jan\u00e1\u010dek<\/h2><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>4. String Quartet No.1, <em>Kreutzer Sonata<\/em><\/strong> <strong>(1923)<\/strong><\/h3><p>In a letter to his beloved Kamila St\u00f6sslov\u00e1, Jan\u00e1\u010dek revealed that he was inspired to imagine \u2018a poor woman, tormented and run down\u2019 – like the one from Tolstoy\u2019s dark and disturbing novella, <em>The Kreutzer Sonata – <\/em>when composing his first <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/string-quartet\">string quartet<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p><p>The music is unsettled, with choppy melodic lines imitating violent outbursts of dialogue spoken by the novel\u2019s jealous husband. Jan\u00e1\u010dek developed his technique of \u2018speech melody\u2019 towards the end of his career, a technique in which he transcribes passages of speech into musical notation.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Leo\u0161 Jan\u00e1\u010dek \u2014 String Quartet No. 1 "Kreutzer Sonata" \/ Meccore String Quartet\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rmOH_myNYko?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><p>What’s in the name Kreutzer Sonata, by the way? The string quartet was inspired, like others in thei list, by Russian literature. In this case, by\u00a0Leo Tolstoy’s novella\u00a0<em><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Kreutzer_Sonata\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Kreutzer Sonata<\/strong><\/a><\/em>, itself inspired by\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Violin-Sonata-No-9-in-A-Major-Opus-47-Kreutzer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Beethoven<\/strong><\/a>‘s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Violin_Sonata_No._9_(Beethoven)\"><strong>Violin Sonata No. 9<\/strong><\/a>, more widely known as the ‘Kreutzer’ after its dedicatee\u00a0Rodolphe Kreutzer.\u00a0<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>5. <em>From the House of the Dead<\/em><\/strong> <strong>(1927)<\/strong><\/h3><p>Jan\u00e1\u010dek\u2018s final opera, <em>From the House of the Dead<\/em>, is set in a bleak Siberian prison and is full of themes of loneliness and isolation. Adapted from the novel by Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky, the opera follows the lives and experiences of the prisoners, who each have their own tragic stories. <\/p><p><em>From the House of the Dead<\/em> doesn’t really have a traditional, linear narrative. Rather, it’s a series of episodes revealing the prisoners’ various pasts. And these pasts tend towards the dark, with tales of violence, love and loss, as well as the brutality of life in a prison setting.<\/p><p>The music, like the plot, is innovative, deploying <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/what-is-folk-music\">folk music<\/a><\/strong> rhythms, speech-like <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/what-is-a-melody\">melodies<\/a><\/strong>, and dissonant <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/what-is-harmony-in-music\">harmonies<\/a><\/strong>. To reflect its somewhat bleak setting, the opera’s <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/what-instruments-make-up-an-orchestra\">orchestration<\/a><\/strong> is relatively sparse. There’s a raw intensity to the work, something quite far removed from the lush, widescreen <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/best-romantic-composers\">Romanticism<\/a><\/strong> of a more traditional opera. It does, however, end on a hopeful note: an injured eagle that has been tended at the prison is released, a potent symbol of the opportunity for renewal and freedom.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Prelude \u2013 FROM THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD Jan\u00e1\u010dek \u2013 National Theatre Brno\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UxDFrPb5b34?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><p>The composer had developed a tendency of modelling characters around his life-long love Kamilla St\u00f6sslov\u00e1. In this opera, however, there is only one female part – perhaps in acknowledgment of Kamilla’s indifference to the composer’s feelings. An alternative ending was written posthumously by two of Jan\u00e1\u010dek\u2019s pupils to reduce the bleakness of the story. <\/p><p><em>Anya Hancock<\/em><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Published: Friday, 04 October 2024 at 14:10 PM Czech composer Leo\u0161 Jan\u00e1\u010dek was known for writing music inspired by Moravian and Slavic folk themes. Fascinatingly, however, Jan\u00e1\u010dek couples these leanings with a preoccupation with rather sinister themes. A significant body of his work is built around grisly themes – death, betrayal and oppression being […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":48079,"template":"","categories":[1,17],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"4"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/10\/leos-janacek-five-of-his-most-sinister-works.jpg",1200,800,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/10\/leos-janacek-five-of-his-most-sinister-works-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/10\/leos-janacek-five-of-his-most-sinister-works-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/10\/leos-janacek-five-of-his-most-sinister-works-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/10\/leos-janacek-five-of-his-most-sinister-works-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/10\/leos-janacek-five-of-his-most-sinister-works.jpg",1200,800,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/10\/leos-janacek-five-of-his-most-sinister-works.jpg",1200,800,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Published: Friday, 04 October 2024 at 14:10 PM Czech composer Leo\u0161 Jan\u00e1\u010dek was known for writing music inspired by Moravian and Slavic folk themes. Fascinatingly, however, Jan\u00e1\u010dek couples these leanings with a preoccupation with rather sinister themes. A significant body of his work is built around grisly themes – death, betrayal and oppression being…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/48078"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

Jan\u00e1\u010dek: his darkest and most sinister works<\/h2>