Commentary: The Operatic Tragedy of Central Europe

The operas of Leos Janacek-such as Jenufa and Katya Kabanova-illustrate the nature of operatic modernism in relation to history and folklore in the context of the Habsburg monarchy and postwar Central Europe. In the performance history of the operas, moving from Janacek's city of Brno, Moravia, to such cosmopolitan capitals as Prague, Vienna, Berlin, and even New York, the case of Janacek also suggests the complex relationship between provincial, national, and transnational elements in the operatic modernism of Central Europe.