The opera reveals itself as a spiritual tragedy where compassion overcomes dogma and grace is born from despair
“No greater love exists than that which is offered to shame to save another’s soul”
Dostoievski
Jenůfa, by Leoš Janáček, floods the Liceu with overwhelming emotional power in Àlex Ollé’s new and exceptional production, with the ever-revealing conducting of Jonathan Nott and a luxury cast led by Asmik Grigorian and Nina Stemme.
Inspired by the harshness of rural life and the stern morality of a closed community, Jenůfa becomes a modern passion in which the sacred and the sacrilegious intertwine in an unsettling dance of devastating consequences.
At the heart of the drama beat two female figures in constant tension: Jenůfa, wounded by love and shame, and the Kostelnička, her stepmother, both moral beacon and author of a crime that changes everything. Jenůfa embodies profaned innocence that, despite the pain, remains sacred; The Kostelnička, on the other hand, represents the paroxysm of a law without compassion: the strict voice of community and religion.
His act —the murder of Jenůfa’s illegitimate child— is the sacrilegious gesture par excellence: not only because it is a crime, but because it is carried out in the name of a distorted love, an imposed honour, a perverted sense of the sacred. She kills to save, lies to protect, drowns one life to “redeem” another. Thus, the opera becomes a brutally contemporary parable: how far can moral fanaticism go? Can a forced sacrifice justify the destruction of innocence?
Janáček, with music that is direct, lyrical and spiritual to the limit, writes this drama with an intensity that pierces all defences. The vocal writing gives a tragic truth to the characters, while the orchestra delves into their deepest thoughts and anguish.
And yet, Jenůfa is also a work about forgiveness. When the protagonist forgives the Kostelnička, the opera reveals itself as a great spiritual tragedy in which compassion overcomes dogma and grace blossoms where only despair seemed possible.
Opera in three acts
Libretto by Leoš Janáček based on Jeji pastorkyna by Gabriela Preissová
- World premiere: 21 January 1904 at the National Theatre in Brno
- Barcelona premiere: 14 January 1965 at the Gran Teatre del Liceu
- Last performance at the Liceu: 5 June 2005
- Total performances at the Liceu: 17
With the support of:
Dates and tickets
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| LiceuOPERA+ | Estrena digital |
General public sale on Monday 15 June 2026 at 10h.
Artistic profile
- Stage direction
- Àlex Ollé
- Set design
- Alfons Flores and Mar Flores
- Costume design
- Lluc Castells
- Lighting design
- Urs Schönebaum
- Production
- Gran Teatre del Liceu in co-production with the Teatro Real and ABAO Bilbao Opera
- Choir of the Gran Teatre del Liceu
- Director Pablo Assante
- Symphony Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu
- Conductor Jonathan Nott
Cast
Special sessions
Breathing the Opera
Breathing the Opera is a 30-minute guided session, led by coach Mònica Arús, with the soundscape of music therapist Núria Andorrà, in which we will practice simple breathing, relaxation and mindfulness exercises to enter a state of calm and openness that helps us enjoy the performance with presence and awareness.
Friday 14 May
18:30 h (Access via the entrance on Sant Pau street 15 minutes before the session begins)
Buy the full experience here: mindfulness session + opera performance.
Liceu OPERA+
Subscribers to Liceu OPERA+ will be able to enjoy the live broadcast of Jenůfa by Leoš Janáček at the Liceu, staged by Àlex Ollé and conducted by maestro Jonathan Nott.
Once edited, it will remain freely accessible for subscribers.
Sunday 6 June: Digital premiere
Audiodescription
Live audio description service in one performance of each staged opera, providing information on key visual elements for the benefit of blind and visually impaired audience members. The service has two parts: an audio introduction fifteen minutes before the start of the performance, and simultaneous audio description during the show.
LiveVoice app
To listen to the audio description, simply click on Audiodescription at the Liceu, or enter the code 075177 in the LiveVoice app.
Sunday 22 June
19 h