Photography by Kyle Flubacker
—Wayne Lee Gay
The Dallas Opera continues its 2026-27 season this week with a musically gorgeous, visually dazzling production of one of the twentieth century's greatest—albeit relatively neglected—operatic masterpieces, Leoš Janâček's The Cunning Little Vixen, written in 1923 when the composer was 69 years old.
In a brilliant stroke of originality, Janâček based this unique work on a published serialized tale (basically a comic strip) of the life of a fox in a rural setting. As in any cartoon, animal and human characteristics blend—but Janâček pushed further to create a miraculous marriage of comedy, tragedy, traditional wisdom, and complex philosophy. He set this dramatic tour-de-force in a score that combines sweeping romanticism with early modern energy and muscular folkloric elements.
The musical elements fall in place brilliantly in this production under the steady expertise of conductor Emmanuel Villaume, TDO’s music director, who expertly guides the singers and orchestra through the score's bristling complexities. Estonian soprano Mirjan Mesak makes an impressive Dallas debut in the extremely challenging title role, in which she must move like an animal while conveying the human emotions Janâček assigns to the role—and at the same time producing a beautiful rendition of the glorious vocal role. Mezzo-soprano Shannon Keegan takes on the more brief but equally challenging role of the Vixen's male romantic interest; Keegan and Mesak together blend the characteristics of young (human) courtship with foxy partnership (at which point the opera veers into PG-plus territory) in what is surely the most intriguing love duet in all of opera.
Janâček concurrently explores complex human relationships through ordinary small-town characters: tenor Freddie Ballentine as a schoolmaster, mezzo-soprano Jill Grove as the Forester's wife, bass Andrew Harris as the Parson, and bass-baritone Brandon Cedel as the Poacher, all of whom bring dramatic nuance and fine vocal form to their respective roles.
The most complicated, dramatically textured and vocally demanding role beyond that of the Vixen belongs to baritone Zachary Nelson as the Forester, whose resonant timbre and dramatic presence provide several essential moments in the building intensity of the opera. Indeed, Janâček gives this character the final scene, a masterful combination of denouement and climax, which Nelson pulls off magnificently.
Thirteen-year-old Amelia Kate Baker of Frisco takes on the brief opening and closing role of the Vixen as a cub with extraordinary grace, energy, and expertise.
Beyond the main fox roles, The Cunning Little Vixen contains various animal subplots and animal roles. The most intriguing scene is the Vixen's massacre of a henhouse full of chickens, here staged with vivid color and humor. It's another superlative belonging to Janâček: the funniest mass murder in all opera.
The sets by Michael Levine (with lighting by Franck Evin) are in one sense minimal: the stage itself is dark and empty, with no representations of forest or village. However, shimmering curtains constantly create a sense of forest, rain, snow, and the night sky, and ultimately lead to an overwhelming final moment. Barrie Kosky's original stage directions, here re-created by Johannes Stepanek, are appropriately vibrant, creating both characteristic animal and characteristic human (specifically, middle-European peasant) movement.
The one drawback of this production comes via Victoria Behr's costumes, which, except for the hens and the rooster, completely lack any indications that the characters portrayed are animals. Although I saw the opening scenes from the viewpoint of someone who already knows that these are animals, I can well imagine that many in the audience may have been puzzled and perplexed for a stretch at the beginning.
WHEN: October 30, November 1, 4, 7, 2026
WHERE: Winspear Opera House, Dallas Arts District (Flora St.)
WEB: https://dallasopera.org/performance/the-cunning-little-vixen/
