Káťa Kabanová a Příhody lišky Bystroušky / Káťa Kabanová and The Cunning Little Vixen – Zahrádka Jiří (2026)

After the establishment of Czechoslovakia, Leoš Janáček entered the peak period of his career. Káťa Kabanová and The Cunning Little Vixen are the first operas from the final decade of his life, a period often described as the composer’s “grand old age.” In these works, Janáček perfected his compositional method by bringing story, words, and music together. This book examines the creation of both operas in the context of the turbulent 1920s, when Janáček, born in the mid-nineteenth century, had to respond to the political and cultural changes brought about by the new order in Europe after the end of the First World War, the establishment of the Czechoslovak Republic, and changing paradigms in music, art, and society. It follows the composer’s sources of inspiration, his search for ideal dramaturgy and compositional solutions, and the staging history of both works, including their successes and failures in reaching foreign stages, as well as his collaboration with Max Brod and much more. It also touches on Janáček’s The Diary of One Who Disappeared, which he considered not only a song cycle but also a work for a semi-staged dramatic form. The text is accompanied by rich and often unique iconographic material.