JANACEK’S semi-autobiograhical opera Osud (Destiny) and Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti made an intriguing pairing as the last two of Opera North’s Little Greats.

Osud was belatedly staged at Brno State Opera in 1958 - 30 years after Janacek’s death. Annabel Arden’s production of this dramatically flawed piece features softly lit black and white postcard pictures of a Moravian spa town.

Sadly, the beguiling imagery and a host of watchable cameo roles are not enough to compensate for a hideously convoluted plot that includes hallucinations and flashbacks.

But the passionate lyricism of Janacek’s music and the total commitment of Opera North’s Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by Martin Andre, make Osud seem like a hugely rewarding discovery.

There are standout performances from John Graham-Hall as the composer Zivny (Janacek’s alter ego), Richard Burkhard as Lhotsky, Christopher Nairne as Verva, Giselle Allen as Mila, and Rosalind Plowright as her deranged mother.

I assume that the scene in which mother and daughter plunge to their deaths from a balcony was not intended to be hilarious.

Phew!

A generous dose of light relief followed with Trouble in Tahiti - Leonard Bernstein’s satire on living the American dream in a little white house in 1950s suburbia.

Quirijn de Lang as Sam and Wallis Giunta as Dinah deliver top notch vocal performances as a warring middle class couple.

Fflur Wyn, Joseph Shovelton and Nicholas Butterfield provide a delightfully droll Greek chorus-style commentary in praise of this suburban utopia.

Tim Claydon’s nifty choreography and Charles Edwards’ period settings are a joy to behold.

The Orchestra of Opera North conducted by Tobias Ringborg bring out the subtleties of Bernstein’s sparky, jazz infused score. Unmissable!

There is just time to catch all six Little Greats at Leeds Grand Theatre before touring to Hull, Nottingham, Newcastle and Salford Quays.