Brandenburgers in Bohemia

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Operas by Bedřich Smetana

Brandenburgers in Bohemia (1863)
The Bartered Bride (1866)
Dalibor (1868)
Libuše (1872)
The Two Widows (1874)
The Kiss (1876)
The Secret (1878)
The Devil's Wall (1882)
Viola (1884)
v • d • e

The Brandenburgers in Bohemia (Czech: Braniboři v Čechách) is a three-act opera, the first by Bedřich Smetana. The Czech libretto was written by Karel Sabina, and is based on events from Czech history. The work was composed in the years 1862–1863. Smetana and Sabina wrote the opera at a time of great Czech patriotism, with the pending opening of a new theatre for production of Czech operas in Prague. The opera received its first performance at the Provisional Theater (or the "Interim Theatre"[1]), Prague, on 5 January 1866, and the first performance was a success.[2] The first UK performances were in April 1978 by Hammersmith Municipal Opera.[3]

Contents

[edit] Roles

Role Voice type Premiere Cast, January 5, 1866
(Conductor: - )
Děčana contralto
Jan Tausendmark baritone
Jira tenor
Ludiše soprano
Oldřich Rokycanský baritone
Varneman tenor
Vlčenka soprano
Volfram Olbramovic bass

[edit] Synopsis

The setting is Prague in the 13th century, during the occupation of Bohemia by forces of the Margrave of Brandenburg.

The serf Jira is the leader of a rebel movement in Prague. He charges the Brandenburg captain, Tausendmark, with kidnapping the three daughters of the mayor, named Ludiše, Vlčenka and Děčana. Jira is later arrested, put on trial, and condemned to death. However, Junoš, who is in love with Ludiše, manages to save Jira. Eventually, Tausendmark and the other Brandenburgers are driven out of Prague, and the city is liberated.

[edit] Discography

  • 1963, Jan Hus Tichý (conductor), Chorus and Orchestra of the Prague National Theatre; Karel Kalaš, Jiří Joran, Ivo Žídek, Zdeněk Otava, Antonin Votava, Bohumil Vich, Milada Šubrtová, Miroslava Fidlerová, Věra Soukupová, Eduard Haken, Jindřich Jindrák

[edit] References

  1. ^ W. W. Cobbett, "Czech National Opera". The Musical Times, 45(732), pp. 92-95 (February 1, 1904).
  2. ^ Brian Large, "Smetana's The Secret". The Musical Times, 113(1551), pp. 452-454 (May 1972).
  3. ^ Brian Large, "Smetana's Brandenburgers". The Musical Times, 119(1622), pp. 329-330 (April 1978).

[edit] Sources

  • The Oxford Dictionary of Opera, by John Warrack and Ewan West (1992), 782 pages, ISBN 0-19-869164-5
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