(Photo: František Renzaj) The Devil’s Wall is a large granite outcrop that overlooks the Vltava River in southern Bohemia. Below its jagged rock faces, a boulder field flows down the steep-sided valley to the river. It is a magical and mysterious place which today is part of a national park. Unsurprisingly, it is also a place of myth and legend. {…}
(Phot0: Bregenz Festival / Daniel Ammann) Leoš Janáček’s “The Excursions of Mr. Brouček” has long been overshadowed by “Jenůfa,” “Káťa Kabanová,” “The Cunning Little Vixen” and “The Makropulos Affair.” This curious, episodic satire has never fully secured its place in the repertoire, perhaps because it occupies an awkward territory between affectionate comedy, political allegory and biting social critique. Yet it {…}
(Photo: Marek Olbrzymek) During a walk in the forests outside Brno, Rudolf Těsnohlidek and his friends came across an abandoned baby that was left to freeze under a tree. The unmarried mother was eventually found and claimed she was hoping that the child would be discovered and given a better life. Unfortunately, such incidents were not uncommon in the early {…}
(Photo: Národní divadlo Brno) Fairytales often speak directly to our unconscious, revealing drives and truths that are not always apparent to our conscious selves. It is therefore not surprising that many tales are replicated across countries and cultures, even if the characters and details vary. The Slavic fable of Rusalka, for example, has counterparts with the French Melusine, Germanic Nixie {…}
(Photo Brno: Marek Olbryzmek) Britten’s “Peter Grimes” is a director’s dream. Who is Grimes? It is certain he is a loner; an outsider and a social misfit open to fits of temper. Yet there is also a sensitive side to his nature that comes out intermittently throughout the opera, notably in his aria “Now the Great Bear and the Pleiades” {…}
Photo: Patrik Borecky “Rusalka,” alone among Dvořák’s operas, has managed to establish itself across the opera world, while his other ten have largely been ignored outside his Czech homeland. One or two have managed to keep a small toehold on the international stage, but only just. It is a strange state of affairs, especially in the case of “The Jacobin.” {…}
(Photo: Marek Olbrzymek) Would any opera house be bold enough to present a work about the horrors of life in a gulag in which the guilty and innocent are thrown together to be abused, debased and left to die? Undoubtedly, the answer is yes! What if it were to be presented in a Christian context, in which Christ walks among {…}
The National Theatre Prague has announced its 2021-22 season. Ewa Plonka, Michal Lehotský, Veronika Hajnová, Miguelangelo Cavalcanti star in “Aida.” Maurizio Barbacini and Richard Hein conducts. Performance Dates: TBD Grischa Asagaroff will direct “Carmen,” conducted by Petr Poelka. Nana Dzidziguri and Ester Pavlů headline in the title role. Luis Gomes and Michal Lehotsky star as Don José. Performance Dates: TBD {…}
One brand new opera with three endings. A 20th-century work from a noted Czech composer. Two gala performances. A recital of new songs. A Shakespeare / Verdi / Ring Mashup. Beethoven. And three Italian operas with some of opera’s biggest stars for those looking for more standard repertory. That eclectic list comprises our top 10 operas to stream this week. {…}
