Artists from the Brno national Theatre enjoyed the first applause of the new season in the open air. Just like last year, the largest Moravian theatre opened in the sun-warmed piazzetta in front of Janáček Theatre. The large temporary stage on the outdoor staircase of the opera house was dominated by soloists of the opera and ballet, as well as the opera orchestra and chorus. The large space in front of Janáček Theatre was again filled with hundreds of standing spectators. According to the data available to the theatre, the number of visitors, who stopped by to see the more than two-hour-long tasting of existing and planned productions of the opera and ballet at the Brno National Theatre exceeded 1,000. The weather and the mood of future visitors corresponded to the programme in all aspects: the remarks by the theatre director Martin Glaser and all three artistic leaders (Mário Radačovský for balet, Jiří Heřman for opera and Martin Františák for theatre) were concise and factually informative. The above quartet always introduced individual blocks with examples of productions.
The programme of the open air concert was hosted by the actor of the Brno National Theatre Roman Blumaier. It is a pity that he did not omit the traditional nuisance – he started his segments during the applause of the audience, meaning that no one understood the first two sentences of any segment. The concept of the programme, in addition to the dramaturgical plan of this season, also referred to the upcoming 5th annual Janáček Brno Festival that will take place in October and is traditionally firmly tied to the theatre.
The stroll through operas, ballets and concerts from the programme for the 2016/2017 season was opened and closed by the opera orchestra under the baton of chief conductor Marko Ivanović with a thirteen-member brass section on the stair landing with Allegretto from Janáček's Sinfonietta. Visitors to the inaugural concert show had a rare opportunity to see the usually anonymous faces of the members of individual instrumental groups, as the orchestra did not play in the theatre "in the hole" as usual, but instead under a white party tent under the landing. The renowned Brno opera choir confirmed its class with several examples: at the beginning, with a traditional segment Proč bychom se netěšili from Smetana's Bartered Bride, then while supporting the performance of Jana Hrochová and Roman Hoza in the leading roles in Dvořák's opera The Devil and Kate, two successful samples of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas even in the spirited nun costumes in a promising taste of the lesser-known Rossini's Le comte Ory. A JAMU graduate, baritone Roman Hoza is a new, promising addition to the group of opera soloists. Another addition of young blood is also coloratura soprano Jana Šrejma Kačírková, who rightfully earned long and resounding applause from the audience for her impressive singing and acting performance of the aria Violetta from Verdi's La traviata. The opera singer thus only confirmed her reputation underlined by two Thálie Awards for opera performance and for the Brno National Theatre she is a promising candidate for a true diva that the Brno opera has been missing. The popular aria Jásej, skřivánku (Shout, Meadowlark) from Smetana's The Kiss was sung by Marta Reichelová, the aria Tosca from an opera by Giacomo Puccini features Iveta Jiříková, and the title role from Pochielli's La Gioconda was performed in a sample by Daniela Straková-Šedrlová. The courage of the opera dramaturgy to show the visitors a sample of modern world opera production was appreciated in the case of the more difficult introduction of an opera by Finish author Kaija Saariaho Love from Afar. It was presented in the original French version by Veronika Hajnová-Fialová. The somewhat mediocre acceptance by the audience was enhanced by the fact that for now she reads her role from the score.
Ballet soloists – especially toe dancers – were in a risky and complicated position on the concrete pavement of the piazzetta, but they mastered their roles without any exceptions. Pas de deux by Giselle by Charles Adam was danced by Eriko Wakizono and Gregor Giselbrecht, Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty was reminded in a ballet performance by Klaudia Radačovská and Ivan Popov. The composed programme escalated thanks to the excellent cooperation between the dynamically playing orchestra ensemble and the ballet group in a less extensive but expressive choreography of the popular Ravel's Bolero.
The NdB Marketing Department left nothing to chance: several information booths and hostesses passing through the audience offered numerous information materials and promotional items, it was possible to purchase a subscription to any subscription series as well as tickets for individual performances. The offer also included a promotional CZK 100 discount for any opera or ballet during the season. The programme of the inaugural open air concert was not available in printed form but each individual ongoing item of the programme was announced on a screen in the left corner of the staircase, clearly visible from the nearby tram stop. The good experience of the Brno National Theatre from last year resulted in a gradually forming tradition of an opening concert outside the building among people in the park. This year's second round resulted in a sympathetic and well-considered invitation to visit even for those who were just randomly passing by. All that was needed was a simple and nice motto: We look forward to seeing you!
