Leoš Janáček's opera The Cunning Little Vixen is undoubtedly one of the most important music-dramatic works of the 20th century. According to the composer himself, he wanted to create a parable about the cycle of life with this "forest idyll". From the first moment, the listeners of the work are transported into an almost breathless tension. Janáček's unmistakable musical language with its sheer overflowing abundance of motifs and themes makes the audience forget the time and at the end evokes astonishment that the two hours of playing time should already have passed.

Janáček's departure from the traditions of the late 19th century is already clearly evident in the tonal language and orchestration of his seventh opera. Nevertheless, he conceived the work for a larger late-Romantic orchestra with three to four wind players, as was standard in the opera houses of his time. Because of his experience with the balance between singers and orchestra, however, he actually used the full orchestra only in a few places. The rare passages in which the full orchestra is used are mainly characterised by doublings, which do not bring in any additional orchestral colours. 

The challenge was to create a version for a smaller orchestration in which Janáček's original instrumentation is basically retained. The new reduced version shows that this is possible with a restriction to two musicians for each of the wind groups. With a correspondingly reduced string section, the result is that only about two thirds of the original number of musicians are needed for a performance, without even the slightest distortion of timbre or loss of volume or radiance. This long overdue version finally makes it possible for a larger number of theatres to stage this masterpiece of opera literature without having to make musical compromises or improvise. The arrangement for a smaller orchestration is based on the current new Critical Edition of the opera by Jiří Zahrádka from 2010. The performance material for the reduced version will be available in summer 2022 and thus in time for the 2022/2023 season. As a piano-vocal score, the edition of the original version is to be used and is available at any time. Perusal scores can already be ordered.