Jenufa by Leos Janacek

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Fame often has a price -- especially when the famous aren't exactly poster-children for virtue and fair play. Consider, for example, that famous, rock-and-roll pianist with a thing for child brides. Would we even have known about his alledged marital foibles if there hadn't been "a whole lotta shakin' goin' on?" What about that former Speaker of the House who reportedly left his wife in a hospital bed, suffering from a life-threatening illness? Would this have made the front pages if he'd just been another guy on the street? The answer: probably not. But it's not just the famous who pay a price for their public embarrassments; their loved ones often suffer as well: first mistreated, then humiliated when their pain turns up on gossip-y websites and on TV tabloid shows.

Then again, this over-scrutiny of well-known people is nothing new when you think about it; it's not just a product of the "information age." Take the case of the composer of this week's opera, Leos Janacek. Today, his work is regarded as a cornerstone of 20th-century opera while, personally, he is regarded as one of music's great misogynists. And yet until he reached retirement age, Janacek spent much of his life treating women poorly -- and nobody outside his inner circle even had a clue. That's because his music was nearly unknown. Until, however, a production of Janacek's opera Jenufa appeared in Prague. Jenufa had been performed many times before but from that 1916 production it suddenly became hit. Janacek became famous.

Yet, almost as quickly, however, Janacek became infamous: his personal life became a matter of public record. When he died, his widow wrote a book. Turns out that the composer wooed her when she was just a teenager with promises of life-long bliss. Then he turned her from besotted newlywed to beleagured wife by throwing his many infidelities in her face. He even devised a divorce decree demanding that she continue to live with him, maintaining what he called "domestic peace." That is, she had to make him a happy home and put up with his extracurricular activities, or else be thrown destitute into the streets.

So, Janacek had some regrettable personality issues. (Even his mistresses don't seem to have liked him very much.) But, you know what? This week from the Lyric Opera of Chicago, you're going to hear a performance of his opera Jenufa. And, once you get caught up in that, you may forget all about what a jerk he was. Even so, we're going to remind you of that on At the Opera. First, Lou will talk with John Tyrrell, who prepared the authentic editions of two of Janecek's operas, and has translated two volumes of the composer's correspondence. Tyrrell's most recent work is a translation of My Life with Janacek, the memoirs of the composer's widow. Lou will also speak with commentator Will Berger about Janacek's treatment of women in Jenufa - one of its female characters drowns a newborn baby. Then, conductor Stewart Robertson will point out some of the opera's many, remarkable musical passages. That's At the Opera, thirty minutes before curtain at the Lyric, from NPR.


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