ENO, London's English-language opera house, gave the British premiere of Vixen 60 years ago, and it has a special place in the company's history. By no means a children's opera, it is nevertheless fine family fare, and the many additional non-singing roles for youngsters of all ages in Jamie Manton's warm-hearted production help joy and resilience to overcome the weariness and gloom of the adult characters.
The vixen is caught by a forester who takes her home for amusement. Trapped between a flickering TV and flabby sofa, with only an overfed and randy dog for company, she makes her escape, raises hell in the henhouse, falls for a handsome fox, and produces an array of athletic cubs, hilarious in their red, oversized tops; all Tom Scutt's costume designs are delightfully witty.
'How many children do we have?' wonder the happy parents.
Tom Scutt's design and Anya Allin's drawn cloth bring the forest to life. Photo: Clive Barda
A plump frog, grumpy badger, pestiferous mosquito, scooter-borne insects, clannish mushrooms and glittering dragonfly are among their busy and colourful neighbours. By contrast, the dull humans have lost their zest, their cheerful childhoods, which we glimpse, giving way to leaden graft and boredom.
The men who take solace in drink, imbibe almost intravenously through tubes that run straight from oildrum-like kegs. A pathetic schoolmaster hankers fruitlessly after a young woman; a priest rues his own missed chance of love.
Vixen was born out of a popular 1920 strip cartoon in the Czech composer's native land. The idea of a story unfolding underpins a truly beautiful, ever-changing sliver of background illustration that rolls from the sky centre-stage in Scutt's inventive design. Now a height chart, now a sunrise, this covetable cloth by Anya Allin is a wondrous object.
As Sharp Ears the vixen, soprano Sally Matthews in sassy Turkish pants and long black gloves is occasionally left hanging around in a production where movement by Jenny Ogilvie is generally strong. But her bright, spirited soprano is a pleasing match with her fuller-voiced mate, South African soprano Pumeza Matshikiza making her ENO debut as the Fox.
Tenor John Findon is cock of the walk in the hen house. Photo: Clive Barda
Among the many entertaining performances, baritone Lester Lynch is the confused Forester, and bass-baritone Ossian Huskinson, who made an impression last summer in Garsington Opera's Eugene Onegin, is characterful as the poacher Harašta. His arrival is good news for the audience but bad news for Sharp Ears.
The cycle of life and death, spring and winter, churns on stage and in Janáček's translucent score, tenderly played by the Orchestra of English National Opera, conducted by Martyn Brabbins.
The capacious Coliseum is not always ideally suited to music that is often microscopically detailed, but a gorgeous rainbow finale of unimaginable abundance fills every corner gloriously.
Muscleman Harašta is sung by Ossian Huskinson. Photo: Clive Barda
When Janáček wrote his opera 100 years ago, it was a different world. Today, the delicate balance of Nature is understood more cerebrally but perhaps less intuitively, and nurtured both less and more. This very attractive and intelligent production underlines how easily our environment can be harvested for short-term gain with long-term loss.
And it also shows ENO at its best – itself harvesting local talent, attracting a younger audience with bargain pricing, preserving a masterpiece and yet making it new. Highly recommended.
The Cunning Little Vixen is sung in English with English surtitles. Performances are on 22, 24, 26, 29 Feb; 1 March
| What | The Cunning Little Vixen, English National Opera review |
| Where | English National Opera, London Coliseum, St Martin's Lane, London, WC2N 4ES | MAP |
| Nearest tube | Embankment (underground) |
| When |
20 Feb 22 – 01 Mar 22, Six performances, start times vary. Running time 2hr, including one interval |
| Price | £10-£160 |
| Website | Click here to book via ENO's website |