Fate

To cradle your tears in my palms…

The production of Janáček’s *Osud* (Destiny), which opened the Janáček Brno 2020 festival, marks the return of one of the finest opera directors, Robert Carsen. Known for productions acclaimed for their dramatic insight, poetic quality, and visual refinement, Carsen returns to Janáček’s operatic oeuvre to add a sixth title to his cycle of the composer's works—one created specifically for the Janáček Opera of the National Theatre Brno (NdB). The opening notes of the orchestral waltz from the *Osud* overture immediately transport us into the midst of refined spa society; here, simple, natural prose gives way to language reminiscent of decadent poets, reflecting the inspiration Janáček drew from a beautiful woman—twenty-eight-year-old Kamila Urválková—whom he met in August 1903 at his beloved Luhačovice spa. Kamila confided in Janáček about her romance with the composer Čelanský, who had depicted his own romantic disillusionment in an opera titled *Kamila*. Janáček was so captivated by Kamila’s charm that he resolved to create a "completely new, modern opera" that would redeem her image. He described *Osud* not as an opera, but as "three novelistic episodes," placing the audience in a setting vastly different from that of his earlier works; following *Jenůfa*, Janáček’s fourth opera, *Osud*, represents a bold musical and dramaturgical foray into new territory.