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The Bartered BrideKids event

National Theatre (Národní divadlo)Ostrovní 1, Praha 1, Prague, Central Bohemian Region, 11000, Czech Republic
Dates/times in Prague time zone
Friday 12 September 202519:00
Sunday 28 September 202517:00
Sunday 02 November 202517:00
Tuesday 18 November 202519:00
Saturday 13 December 202518:00
Thursday 01 January 202617:00
Wednesday 14 January 202619:00
Thursday 19 February 202619:00
Wednesday 04 March 202619:00
Friday 27 March 202619:00
Show 2 more dates
Performers
Prague National Theatre Opera
Jaroslav KyzlinkConductor
David ŠvecConductor
Alice NellisDirector
Matěj CibulkaSet Designer, Lighting Designer
Kateřina ŠtefkováCostume Designer
Prague National Theatre Orchestra
Prague National Theatre Chorus
Michal MocňákVideo
Ondřej HučínDramaturgy
Prague National Theatre Opera Ballet
Klára LidováChoreography
Pavel VaněkChoirmaster / chorus director
Alžběta PoláčkováSopranoMařenka
Kateřina KněžíkováSopranoMařenka
Jana SiberaSopranoMařenka
Barbora PernáSopranoMařenka
Markéta KlaudováSopranoMařenka
Magdaléna HebousseSopranoMařenka
Doubravka NovotnáSopranoMařenka
Jiří SulženkoBassKecal
Zdeněk PlechBassKecal
Ondřej KoplíkTenorVašek
Peter RačkoTenorVašek
Josef MoravecTenorVašek
Peter BergerTenorJeník
Richard SamekTenorJeník
Lucie HájkováSopranoEsmeralda, Ludmila
Maria KobielskaSopranoEsmeralda, Ludmila
Jaroslav BřezinaTenorThe Ringmaster (Principál)
Tomáš KořínekTenorThe Ringmaster (Principál)
Jana SýkorováMezzo-sopranoHáta
Yvona ŠkvárováMezzo-sopranoHáta
Roman VocelBassMicha
František ZahradníčekBassMicha
Jiří HájekBaritoneKrušina
Martin BártaBaritoneKrušina

Smetana and the librettist Karel Sabina masterfully mocked all those who expected the “national opera” to be an idyllic picture of the Czech countryside, with its inhabitants being virtuous and governed by high morals. The Bartered Bride is thus far more humorous than “national”. Nonetheless, its humour is precisely of the type Czechs so love, and hence Smetana’s opera, abounding in irony, scathing, occasionally even cynical, wit, as well as tenderness and simple joie de vivre, has ultimately become “national” in the best sense of the word ...

The National Theatre has presented many adaptations of The Bartered Bride, which has always been a staple of its repertoire. The 21st production of The Bartered Bride was entrusted to the film and stage director Alice Nellis. What prevails this time? Sentimental foregrounding of the life in a picturesque Czech village, or jest and the self-irony with which Smetana and Sabina imbued their opera?

As interpreted by Alice Nellis, The Bartered Bride this time does not only poke fun at villagers of bygone times, but also at those who for generations have striven to find the formula for restaging the Czech "opera of operas“.

Accordingly, the current production of The Bartered Bride does not only retell the story of Mařenka, Jeník, Vašek and Kecal, it is also about “how opera is made“ – how rehearsals proceed, how it gradually assumes a theatrical shape, how the director tries to make the opera “modern”, how the others frown at his endeavours, what can happen at the rehearsals, and how The Bartered Bride finally finds the right form – merry indeed, as well as moving and visually beautiful!

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