The National Moravian-Silesian Theater is set to present Smetana’s famed “The Bartered Bride” starting on Dec. 15, 2022. Marek Šedivý conducts with Jiří Nekvasil directs the production. The opera will star Soňa Godarská and Veronika Rovná as Mařenka, Canadian tenor Philippe Castagner as Jeník, and František Zahradníček as Kecal. “The Bartered Bride has been considered the Czech national opera for {…}
(Credit: © Pascal Albandopooulos) Opéra National du Rhin has announced that the Slovakian tenor Pavol Breslik has canceled his recital in Strasbourg on Oct. 21, 2020. The opera house stated that the reason for cancelation is the indisposition, not COVID-19 related. The cancelation comes after Breslik pulled out of the last two performances of Bizet’s “Les Pêcheurs de Perles” on {…}
(Credit: Dario Acosta NY) German mezzo-soprano Tanja Ariane Baumgartner is one of the most sought-after opera singers of our time. Baumgartner has been a member of the ensemble at Oper Frankfurt since the 2009-10 season. During her time in Frankfurt, Tanja Baumgartner made appearances in numerous operas including “Carmen,” “Giulio Cesare in Egitto,” “Don Carlo,” “Medea,” “Die Frau ohne Schatten,” {…}
(Credit: Clive Barda) OperaVision will showcase the Garsington Opera production of Smetana’s “The Bartered Bride” on Nov. 29, 2019. The famed opera will star Natalya Romaniw, Brenden Gunnell, Joshua Bloom, Stuart Jackson, Peter Savidge, Heather Shipp, Paul Whelan, Anne-Marie Owens, Jeffrey Lloyd-Roberts, and Lara Marie Müller. Jac van Steen conducts a production directed by Paul Curran. The stream kicks off {…}
The Bayerische Staatsoper will live stream the Jan. 6, 2019 performance of Smetana’s “The Bartered Bride” via its Staatsoper.TV. The free transmission will kick off at 6 p.m. local time (12 p.m. EST and 9 a.m. PST) and is set to feature Selene Zanetti as Marie. Günther Groissböck and Pavol Breslik appear as Kezal and Hans respectively with other cast {…}
It all started with national pride. When Bedrich Smetana met with Viennese conductor Johann von Herbeck, he heard a comment that immediately inspired him. The composer reportedly stated that the Czechs were incapable of creating their own music, which prompted the composer to set out on a mission to create a voice for his nation. It would take the composer {…}