The most famous Czech opera about a beau who sold his sweetheart.
Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884)
Libretto: Karel Sabina
Author: Bedřich Smetana
Musical Preparation: Petr Vronský
Conductor: Jakub Klecker, Jaroslav Kyzlink
Director: Ondřej Havelka
Set Design: Alexandra Grusková
Costume Design: Alexandra Grusková
Chorus Master: Josef Pančík
Choreography: Jana Hanušová
Dramaturgy: Patricie Částková
Janáček Opera Ensemble and Orchestra of the National Theatre Brno
Premiere 24th March 2006, Janáček Theatre
After the successful premiere of Smetana’s first opera, a drama called The Brandenburgers in Bohemia, he decided to compose a contrasting comic work that was truly rooted in Czech tradition. Together with the writer Karel Sabina, they chose a rural theme with realistic characters and the opera premiered in Prague in 1866. The story takes place in a small Bohemian village where two young lovers live, Mařenka and Jeník. However Mařenka’s parents, along with the marriage broker, want her to marry the son of the rich landowner, Mícha, to whom her father owes a debt. With both Mařenka and Jeník disguising their identities, whilst comically deceiving several characters, true love prevails and the happy couple are united.
As a musical picture of Czech life, The Bartered Bride has become arguably the most popular Czech opera of all time and is a mainstay in opera houses around the world. Smetana’s operas established him as a founding father of Czech, classical music. In The Bartered Bride he uses traditional Bohemian dance forms such as the polka and furiant making the work quintessentially Czech in spirit. Smetana’s light-hearted masterpiece provokes not only national pride when played in its homeland, but also strikes the same inspirational chords when played abroad. The Bartered Bride promises a delightful evening full of fun and entertainment for the whole family.
Ondřej Havelka’s production has from its premiere been among audiences’ favourite titles from our repertoire. Havelka himself says of it: “The basic principle of the production is not at all extravagant, as I will admit that I am not at all a fan of drastic updating and transferring of classical works to the present. However it certainly is not about the usual, what we might call ‘overly folksy’, cliché, which directors sometimes fall into from fear of staining the sanctity of the most important Czech national opera. My aim is to create a performance which will be lively, colourful and most of all entertaining musical theatre – after all we are talking about a comic opera.”
