Fri, 11. 10. 2024, 19.00 hrs
M2 THE BARTERED BRIDE
Venue: Zlín Congress Centre | Organizer: Filharmonie Bohuslava Martinů, o.p.s. | Price: 690,- 590,- 500,-
Pavla Vykopalová, soprano
Richard Samek, tenor
Jiří Sulženko, bass
Josef Moravec, tenor
Brno National Theatre's Janáček Opera Company choir
Robert Kružík, conductor
Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic Orchestra
Bedřich Smetana: The Bartered Bride. A comic opera in three acts to a libretto by Karel Sabina. Selection.
The Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic Orchestra marks one of the high points of our celebration of the Year of Czech Music by presenting a concert performance of a selection from Bedřich Smetana’s Bartered Bride in what is also the composer’s bicentenary year. Arguably the most popular of Czech operas, this work has reigned supreme over all this country’s theatre stages for over 150 years, and the Orchestra is joined by the Brno National Theatre’s Janáček Opera Company singers together with leading soloists from this country’s leading opera houses.
The Bartered Bride is one of the cornerstones of this country’s operatic tradition, a sparkling jewel in the crown of our culture and a national treasure with its enduring ability to entertain audiences. The intricate tale of Mařenka, Jeník, Vašek and Kecal, much more than a mere idyllic tableau of the Czech countryside where the virtues of the nation win the day, paints instead a vivid picture in which human weakness and passion intertwine. Perhaps that is why this opera to Karel Sabina’s libretto has appealed to a wide Czech audience for many decades, above all for its authenticity and true-to-life depiction of events and characters that are easily recognisable in our culture, and even more so for its good-natured humour and cynical wit that Czech people love so much.
Our concert performance of this selection from Smetana's Bartered Bride is conducted by the Orchestra’s chief conductor Robert Kružík.