Janáček: The Excursions of Mr Brouček

Janáček’s comic two-part opera is puzzlingly under-represented in both opera house and studio, so this is a welcome recording indeed. Premiered in Prague in 1920, The Excursions of Mr Brouček charts the beer-loving landlord, smug philistine Matěj Brouček as he experiences alcohol-fuelled episodes. He’s first transported to the moon and a society of artistic aesthetes, then to 1420 and the religious upheaval of the Hussite Wars. The point of these “excursions” is to contrast the ordinariness of Brouček and his life with artistic pretentions and a rather more eventful period of history. The music is typical Janáček: playful, dramatic, both inventive and highly detailed, and always composed with the human voice in mind. The result is opera that is entirely theatrical, where the music entirely serves the drama. This wonderful concert performance was recorded live at London’s Barbican Hall, with a fine cast including tenor Peter Hoare’s characterful and often very funny Brouček. Sir Simon Rattle leads the LSO in a brilliant rendering of Janáček’s vibrant orchestral colors.