Performer: Jiří Heřman

An ambitious effort to honor hometown hero Otakar Ostrčil sags under its own weight at the Prague National Theatre. 

Armida offers a compelling story, resonant issues and the spectacle of dueling wizards – but unfortunately, not in this production.

Jakub Hrůša leads a musically thrilling but dramatically problematic From the House of the Dead and Glagolitic Mass at the 2022 Janáček Brno International Festival.

Jiři Herman’s staging is authentically Japanese and focuses on the deliberate injustice of Butterfly's treatment, with strong performances in the lead roles.

Despite some staging problems, a Czech rarity gives the National Theater's new opera season a rousing start, with a vibrant score beautifully realized by conductor John Fiore.

With a production in a style with which I was not at all familiar and which I found very true to the work's spirit, this Rusalka at the Czech National Theatre in Prague was a memorable evening's opera.