Mirjam Mesak Makes Role and House Debut in Dallas Opera's Cunning Little Vixen

By Elena Vasquez

The Dallas Opera opens its new production of Leoš Janáček's "The Cunning Little Vixen" this week, directed by Barrie Kosky and co-produced with the Bayerische Staatsoper and Gran Teatre del Liceu. Estonian soprano Mirjam Mesak makes her role debut as the Vixen and her house debut in Dallas. Both debuts land on the same night.

Mesak is an ensemble member of the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich and a winner of the Bavarian Art Prize. The Dallas engagement also marks her American debut — her first professional appearance on a US stage.

Who is Mirjam Mesak?

Mesak has built her career across a broad stretch of the standard repertoire. Her past roles include music by Wagner, Puccini, Humperdinck, Weber, Beethoven, Handel, and Gounod. She has also performed Czech repertoire, including the music of Dvořák — a background that points directly toward Janáček's score.

Critics have praised her portrayals in consistent terms. Reviews have singled out her "Charming" characters, "her lyrical soprano voice" which "radiates," and "her silvery voice and acting." The Vixen, one of the most physically demanding soubrette roles in the repertoire, will now test those qualities in front of an American audience.

In plain terms: a Munich-based soprano with a Bavarian Art Prize and a wide repertoire list is taking on one of opera's most vivid character roles, on a new continent.

What is the production?

The staging comes from director Barrie Kosky, one of the most booked opera directors in Europe. Three houses share the co-production:

• The Dallas Opera, where the run opens this week
• The Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, where Mesak is an ensemble member
• The Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona

The casting of several rising stars alongside Mesak signals that the companies see the production as a vehicle for emerging talent as much as a signature directorial statement.

Where can audiences see her next?

For listeners not in Dallas, more chances to hear Mesak in the United States are already on the calendar. The soprano will return to the country for the Santa Fe Opera, and in the summer she will also make her Grange Festival debut — her first appearance at that festival.

Recordings of Mesak already circulate online. She can be seen as "Iolanta" from the Bayerische Staatsoper and as Desdemona in Verdi's "Otello."

If the Dallas debut lands as her Munich work has, Mesak's American calendar — Santa Fe this season, with more engagements likely to follow — will be worth tracking.