Devil's Wall

Bedřich Smetana originally thought of a comic opera with librettist Eliška Krásnohorská. In the end, while composing his last completed opera, the composer found moments in the romantic text, inspired by an old legend about a wall of stones built by the devil on the river by the Vyšehrod monastery, that gave the whole story a different tone. Smetana's isolation in Jabkenice and his dismal health and depression were reflected in the individual characters, and the comicalness was replaced by the depth of their feelings. The humor did not disappear either, but it is combined with the desire for love, life wisdom, melancholy and devilish temptation, so that the main tone was a celebration of love, loyalty and dedication.