Heading the excellent cast was Michael Hendrick as the composer. With a strong tenor voice hinting at a wail, he was the picture of an intellectual confronted with a life of emotional suffering. His lengthy final aria was part life confession and part music lecture (‘the dissonant chords of life beat on’). Those the metaphors wore a bit thin, it was a fascinating coda that surely revealed some of Janacek’s own thoughts.

ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON — Thanks to Bard College, the summer performing arts calendar just got more crowded — and more compelling. The college’s Summerscape series at the sparkling new Fisher Center opened Friday night with the American stage premiere of Janacek’s opera “Osud” (“Fate”). It is an 80-minute nugget of rich music and vivid drama that was vital and professional on all levels. “Osud” recounts the final chapters in a relationship between a composer and his long-lost love, who also is the mother of his child.

Heading the excellent cast was Michael Hendrick as the composer. With a strong tenor voice hinting at a wail, he was the picture of an intellectual confronted with a life of emotional suffering. His lengthy final aria was part life confession and part music lecture (“the dissonant chords of life beat on”). Though the metaphors wore a bit thin, it was a fascinating coda that surely revealed some of Janacek’s own thoughts.

Linda Roark-Strummer gave a startling performance as the composer’s mother-in-law. Her brief, pivotal mad scene in the second act was painful to watch, her hair-raising singing one notch short of a shriek.

Christine Abraham as the young mother also was a solid and attractive presence. Though the drama contained only three main characters, numerous smaller parts were handled with vocal aplomb and refined characterization.

The staging by JoAnne Akalatis, a Bard faculty member and noted innovator, was busy but clear. In Act 2, she inserted a chorus of watchers who seemed both ancient and avant-garde. Her only miscue might be that the lovers too often turned away from each other when in dialogue, which brought to mind the blocking of a soap opera.

Making his debut as a stage designer was the building’s architect, Frank Gehry. His set was striking, functional and evocative. The flooring was four sheets of steel. Two tall, amorphous, vaguely organic forms dominated the stage, serving as clouds, trees, perhaps even thought forms. Jennifer Tipton’s lighting set them off to fine effect. A florescent tube suggested a classroom in the final act.

Leon Botstein led a well-paced performance by the American Symphony Orchestra. The Sosnoff Theater’s acoustics are excellent. Every note could be heard, and the singers were generally in fine balance with the orchestra.

If Bard continues to offer such well-chosen repertoire at such a high artistic level, Summerscape will become a must-see for Capital Region residents.

FACTS:OPERA REVIEW JANACEK’S “OSUD” When: 8 p.m. FridayWhere: Sosnoff Theater, Fisher Center, Bard College, Annandale-on-HudsonRunning time: 80 minutes, no intermissionThe crowd: About 750 (three-quarters full); many artsy types showing up for the music, the building and each otherContinues: 4 p.m. today, 8 p.m. Friday and SaturdayTickets: $25 to $55Info: (845) 758-7900; http://www.bard.edu/ fishercenter/

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by Joseph Dalton

Albany Times-Union