Saturday, February 1, 7:30 p. m., La Fabrika
(Komunardů 1001, Praha 7 – Holešovice)
Sára Medková, Ivo Medek, Vít Zouhar: SÁRA´SMILE

Stage Director: Rocc
Video: Lukáš Medek

Starring: Sára Medková – piano, vocals
Ivo Medek – children's toys, percussion
Vít Zouhar – laptop

A new multimedia opera created by the artistic team of Sára Medková, Ivo Medek, and Vít Zouhar, with video by Lukáš Medek and directed by Rocc, offers a personal narrative interwoven with moments of laughter and echoes of forgotten music.

We are constantly expanding our perception of reality, both virtually and tangibly. It evolves as we see it differently, live through it, describe it, reflect on it, and interpret it. We live through myths, live within them, and turn our lived experiences into myths. Every day, we fight intense battles, and every day, we either triumph or falter, always pushing ourselves beyond our limits. The line between reality and imagination blurs, as does the distinction between what is obvious, trivial, or monumental.

We shape reality into myth because the ordinary often feels too static, too lacking in drama or grandeur. The mundane overwhelms us, while the extraordinary can seem trivial. Everything depends on perspective, and every perspective holds power—the power to shift how we see and understand.

Sara's smile symbolizes the layering of parallels: lives, destinies, perspectives, and stories. They are fragments of peaks in the landscapes of daily life and mythical tales, pieces of rituals and suggestions of receptions. Fleeting reflections of countless Saras dissolve into an infinite loop, lost in the mirrors' endless reflections. We cannot say how many exist—past, present, or future. All we know is that myth shapes reality, and reality holds the essence of myth. And as we try to grasp it, it slips through our fingers like a fleeting nymph.
Premiere: October 25, 2022, Orlí Theatre in Brno, as part of the Exposition of New Music Festival Approximate running time ca. 60 minutes, no intermission
In Czech original

Photo Jakub Joch

Tuesday, February 4, 2025, 7 p. m., Estates Theatre
NATIONAL THEATRE KOŠICE
Karol Szymanowski: KRÓL ROGER (KING ROGER)

Conductor: Peter Valentovič
Concept: Anton Korenči, Roland Khern Tóth, Stanislav Trnovský
Stage Director: Anton Korenči
Sets: Ondrej Zachar
Costumes: Boris Hanečka
Light Design: Róbert Farkaš
Chorus Master: Peter Valentovič

Roger II, King of Sicily – Michał Partyka
Roxana, his wife – Gabriela Hrženjak
Edrisi, an Arab scholar – Maksym Kutsenko
Shepherd – Juraj Hollý
Archbishop – Michal Onufer
Deaconess – Myroslava Havryliuk
Young boy – Oleksandr Tishchenko

National Theatre Košice chorus and orchestra, children's choir under the direction of Igor Dohovič

The opera, King Roger, is the supreme work of Karol Szymanowski, whose creation was finished between 1918–1924. The libretto was written by the composer in collaboration with his distant cousin Jaroslaw Iwaskiewicz, who later became a well-known Polish writer. After several visits to Italy and Sicily, Szymanowski was fascinated by their culture and history, as well as the unknown worlds that opened up to him in Mediterranean surroundings. The Bacchae by Euripides, Plato's Phaedrus and Symposium, as well as the works of Friedrich Nietzsche also became King Roger´s spiritual inspiration.

The opera offers the story of the ruler Roger as a representative of a social system, a world of rationality, discipline and faith, disrupted by a mysterious Shepherd. With the arrival of a modern prophet, who preaches hedonism and self-indulgence and is followed by crowds, not only will the existing social order be shaken, but Roger´s personal transformation will also begin. Szymanowski himself referred to his work as a “mystery”– his themes are self-knowledge, sexuality, altered states of consciousness, but also religion and new forms of spirituality.

This original synthesis of musical and spiritual-philosophical influences in King Roger is one of the reasons why this piece has become closer to the modern audience in recent years and is experiencing its renaissance on the biggest opera stages of the world.

Premiere: November 23., 2022, in Košice
Approximate running time 80 minutes, no intermission
In Polish original, with Czech and English subtitles

Suitable for ages 15 and older

Photo Joseph Marčinský

Thursday, February 6, 2025, 7:30 p. m., Vzlet  (Holandská 669/1, 101 00 Praha 10 – Vršovice)
VZLET, VOSTO5, MORAVIAN THEATRE OLOMOUC, RUN OPERUN
Ivan Acher, Martin Konvička, Jiří Havelka, Marta Ljubková, Veronika Loulová: ZABIJAČKA (PIG SLAUGHTER)

Stage Director: Jiří Havelka a Veronika Loulová
Conductor: Petr Šumník Sets and Costumes: Dragan Stojčevski
Dramaturgy: Marta Ljubková
Choreography: Veronika Knytlová
Light Design: Štěpán Hejzlar
Sound: Michal Brůna
Video: Martin Bražina
Music Conductor: Martin Konvička
Producers: Petr Prokop, Jakub Málek
Production: Denisa Sedláčková, Martina Watzková, Adriána Spišáková, Emílie Formanová

Cast:
Butcher – Vladimír Chmelo
Mayor – David Szendiuch
Priest – Peter Malý/ Raman Hasymau
Teacher – Vanda Šípová
Housekeeper – Markéta Cukrová / Tereza Papoušková
Herbalist – Zoja Oubramová
Village men and women: Josef Bobeš Havelka, Leontýna Janků, Marie Anna Krušinová, Robert Nižník, Antonie Rašilovová, Pavol Smolárik, Matěj Šíma, Sára Vosobová and Mifun child choir headed by Jiří Polívka
Organising Committee of the Festivities: David Dvořák, Tomáš Jeřábek, Ondřej Bauer and Petr Prokop

Moravian Theatre Olomouc Orchestra

A comedic opera in three acts and two courses, portraying a ritual spring celebration as an opportunity to look into one's own guts.

Snow is slowly falling on the village. It's cold. And hunger is cruel. Fortunately, a long-awaited event is around the corner to save everyone. The butcher's coming, there's going to be a slaughter! As the old folk wisdom goes, "who's hungry is always sad, stuff your tummy, don't be bad". A piece of slop is the remedy for every existential crisis. The butcher arrives as a bringer of goodwill and redemption, welcomed by a Czech village filled with colorful, quirky characters.

The original opera draws inspiration from the Smetana-Lada tradition, but it comes at a time when most of the country side's pigs have been long gone. Our contribution to Czech art in Lent means a lavish artistic feast with unadulterated operatic singing, dance numbers, and even a children's choir!

In Czech original
Premiere: March 1, 2023
Approximate running time 70 minutes, no intermission

Photo Jan Mudra

Friday, February 7, 2025, 5 p. m., Estates Theatre
STATE OPERA, BANSKÁ BYSTRICA
Rachel Portman: The Little Prince

Conductor: Igor Bulla
Stage director: Dana Dinková
Sets: Lucia Šedivá
Costumes: Ľudmila Várossová
Light design: Marek Červienka
Chorus master: Daniel Simandl
Choreography: Dana Dinková
Dramaturgy: Alžbeta Lukáčová

The Little Prince – Leonard Bíró
The Pilot – Martin Popovič
The Fox – Katarína Procházková
The Snake – Dušan Šimo
The Water – Patrícia Malovec
The Rose – Michaela Kušteková
Businessman – Šimon Svitok
The King – Ivan Zvarík
Drunkard – Zoltán Vongrey
Vain Man – Peter Račko
Lamplighter – Andrej Vancel

This musical-dramatic piece for children, called a "magical opera," is a musical rendition of one of the most beloved fairy tales in modern literature—Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's timeless 1943 classic. The music is composed by Rachel Portman, an acclaimed composer known primarily for her work in film scores.

The story follows a pilot, who is also a writer, stranded in the Sahara Desert during the war after his plane crashes. There, he meets the Little Prince, a boy who has traveled from a distant asteroid. Through their conversations, they explore deep themes like the meaning of life, friendship, love, pride, and humility. The work is filled with rich metaphors and symbolism that can captivate the hearts of children and offer adults thought-provoking parables.

State opera chorus, orchestra and ballet, together with The Banská Bystrica Children's Choir at Art School of Ján Cikker

Premiere: May 27, in Banská Bystrica
Approximate running time 120 minutes, 1 intermission
In Slovak original, with Czech and English subtitles

Photo Zdenko Hanout

Monday, February 10., 2025, 7 p. m., State Opera
SOUTH BOHEMIAN THEATRE, ČESKÉ BUDĚJOVICE
Jan Jirásek: KOMENSKÝ (COMENIUS)

Libretto: Tomáš Jarkovský
Conductor: Jiří Štrunc
Stage director: Tomáš Ondřej Pilař
Sets: Marek Kubát, Tomáš Ondřej Pilař
Costumes: Dana Haklová
Light design: Daniel Tesař
Choreography: Martin Šinták
Chorus master: Martin Veselý
Dramaturgy: Eva Marečková, Marek Pavlíček

Jan Amos Sr. – Jan Šťáva
Jan Amos Jr. – Jakub Hliněnský
Magdalene – Anna Moriová
Ubiquitous – Michal Marhold
Delusion – Zuzana Koś Kopřivová
Daniel, son of Comenius – František Sliž
Mayor / Ferdinand II. – Tomáš Kořínek
Doctor Tulp – Tomáš Maliniak
Two townsmen – Martin Doucha / Tomáš Kotek, Přemysl Stibor
Two townswomen – Tereza Faltýnová / Kristýna Janů, Anna Vodičková

South Bohemian Theatre orchestra, chorus and ballet

A brand-new opera composed by Jan Jirásek, holder of two Czech Lions. Commissioned by the South Bohemian Theatre, this new piece will take you through the turbulent Europe of the 17th century at film speed. It is a story about how to find paradise of the heart in the labyrinth of the Thirty Years’ War, plagues, religious intolerance, personal tragedies, and life in exile. .

Jan Amos Komenský stands as one of the most significant European thinkers in modern history. His ideas were so forward-thinking that they remain influential even today, particularly in education, where many of his principles still guide our approaches. Komenský's life was marked by great hardship, not only because he lived through the devastation of the Thirty Years' War—the largest European conflict of its time—but also because he experienced other wars and endured multiple plague epidemics. These outbreaks claimed the lives of his parents and sisters in Uherský Brod, as well as his wife and children in Fulnek, along with many friends and acquaintances in Lešno.

In our collective memory, Jan Amos Komenský is widely known as the "teacher of nations." This title is well-deserved, as his educational works opened doors to the broader world. He worked in various countries, including Sweden and England, where he was even considered for the position of rector at Harvard University. He also settled in Leszno, Poland, before being expelled for collaborating with the Swedes, who had previously laid siege to the town. Komenský spent his final 14 years in Amsterdam and was laid to rest in the nearby village of Naarden. Although he passed away believing that most of his works had been destroyed and that little of his legacy remained, around 250 of his works have survived. In addition to his educational texts, such as Orbis Pictus and The Gate of Languages Opened, he also authored philosophical and allegorical works. One of the most renowned is The Labyrinth of the World and the Paradise of the Heart, which was published exactly 400 years before the premiere of the opera Comenius. Two characters from this opera, Searchall Ubiquitous and Delusion, are taken from this book, and the artist has symbolically dressed them in costumes adorned with illustrations from Komenský's work.

The world premiere: December 6, 2023, České Budějovice
Approximate running time 1 hour 45 minutes, one intermission
In Czech original, with German subtitles

Photo Martina Root

Thursday, February 13, 2025, 7 p. m., Estates Theatre
J. K. TYL THEATRE (PLZEŇ)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: La clemenza di Tito

Music preparation: Michael Hofstetter
Conductor: Jiří Petrdlík
Stage director: Rocc
Sets: Rocc
Costumes: Belinda Radulović
Light design: Kai Fischer, Jakub Sloup
Dramaturgy: Vojtěch Frank
Chorus master: Jakub Zícha

Titus – Marek Žihla
Sextus – Markéta Cukrová
Annius – Barbora de Nunes-Cambraia
Vitellia – Barbora Perná
Servilia – Zuzana Koś Kopřivová
Publius – Jakub Hliněnský

J. K. Tyl Theatre orchestra and chorus

“Meine Prager verstehen mich” (My Praguers understand me). This is perhaps Mozart’s most well-known expression of his deep fondness for the Czech lands and their people. In their honor, he composed his magnificent opera about the Roman Emperor Titus for the coronation of Leopold II. The opera debuted on 6 September 1791 at the Estates Theatre in Prague. To this day, it continues to be performed worldwide, celebrated for its brilliant music that often outshines the somewhat formulaic plot set in Rome in 79 AD.

Premiere: January 27, 2024, in Pilsen
Approximate running time 140 minutes, one intermission
In Italian original, with Czech and German subtitles

The production is recommended for ages 12 and older

Photo Martina Root

Saturday, February 15, 2025, 4:30 p. m., Spejbl and Hurvínek Theatre (Dejvická 38, Praha 6)
SPEJBL AND HURVÍNEK THEATRE, NATIONAL THEATRE BRNO
Patricie Částková, Bedřich Smetana: HURVÍNEK BARTERS THE BRIDE

Music preparation: Ondrej Olos
Stage director: Hana Mikolášková
Sets and Costumes: David Janošek
Dramaturgy: Patricie Částková

Spejbl – Martin Trecha
Hurvínek – Martin Trecha, David Janošek
Mánička – Jana Mundráková
Žeryk – Jan Levý
Jeník / Vašek – Tomáš Kořínek
Mařenka – Jana Šrejma Kačírková
Kecal – Daniel Nykl
Esmeralda / Innkeeper – Eva Esterková
Ringmaster – David Janošek
Inspector – Ilona Š. Hájková

Daddy, how do you barter a bride? How did you come up with that someone would barter a bride, Hurvínek? Well, it says here: The National Theatre Brno presents Bedřich Smetana’s opera The Bartered Bride. So how is it, Daddy? Well, you know, it’s just pretending… how would I… it’s kind of a ploy to buy a bride for yourself. Now I’m confused – is she sold or bought? You know what, Hurvajz, take Žeryk and Mánička and let’s go to the opera, it’ll be easier than explaining it to you!

Would you also like to know what the deal is with selling the bride? Smetana’s The Bartered Bride is one of the iconic opera pieces, but we decided to bring it closer to children this time. And because a comic opera should be really fun, the members of the ensemble of the Janáček Opera of the National Theatre Brno have invited the best possible guides. In the new family show, the famous puppet characters Spejbl, Hurvínek and Mánička will take you through The Bartered Bride and the world of opera. You will also see Žeryk and hear the best musical pieces as well, because the beloved puppets will be assisted by opera soloists together with our special Smetana mini-orchestra.

Premiere: November 24, 2023, at the Reduta Theatre, Brno
In the Czech original
Approximate running time 1 hour 45 minutes, no intermission

Family opera entertainment for children aged 5 to 100.

Photo Marek Olbrzymek

Tuesday, February 18, 2025, 7 p. m., Estates Theatre
F. X. ŠALDA THEATRE LIBEREC
Josef Mysliveček: ADAM A EVA

Conductor: Paolo Gatto
Stage director: Linda Hejlová Keprtová
Sets: Michal Syrový
Costumes: Tomáš Kypta
Chorus master: Tadeáš Tulach
Dramaturgy: Lenka Dandová
Choreography: Marika Mikanová

Adam – Maksym Kutsenko
Eva – Jolana Slavíková
Angelo di Giustizia – Veronika Kaiserová
Angelo di Misericordia – Věra Poláchová
Relatives – Johana Březinová, Anya Beth Clarke, Jana Černá, Jaroslav Kolář, Michal Kováč, Lucy Grace Macphail, Kristýna Petrášková, Richard Svoboda, František Šourek, Alexey Yurakov

F. X. Šalda Theatre chorus and orchestra

"Full of fire, spirit, and life" is how Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart described Josef Mysliveček's oratorio Adam and Eve. Such high praise was rare from the notoriously critical Mozart, making this an exceptional compliment. He recognized the oratorio's exceptional quality, praising Mysliveček's melodic creativity and the clarity and elegance of his musical expression. The piece was first performed in Florence in 1771. Czech audiences have not yet had the chance to experience the oratorio live, but the DFXŠ opera company recently brought the work to the stage for the first time in Czechia.

Premiere: September 22, 2023, in Liberec
In Italian original, with Czech and German subtitles
Approximate running time 125 minutes, one intermission

Photo Daniel Dančevský

Thursday, February 20, 2025, 7 p. m., Na Marjánce
(Bělohorská 262, Praha 6)
STUDIO VOLANTES
František Škroup: DRÁTENÍK (TINKER)

Music preparation: Marek Čermák
Stage director: Kateřina Křivánková
Sets and costumes: Sylva Marková

Tinker / Škroup – Matúš Šimko
Růženka – Lenka Cafourková Ďuricová
Vojtěch – Vincenc Ignác Novotný
Liduška – Zuzana Badárová
Květenský – Aleš Janiga
Lána – Jiří Miroslav Procházka
Kůl – Martin Vodrážka
Hranatý / Chmelenský – Martin Mihál

Volantes Orchestra, artistic director Marek Čermák

Love cannot be broken. Růžena and Vojtěch fall in love at first sight, but their fathers have different plans for their futures.

The Tinker is a comic opera in two acts, with a libretto by Czech poet and translator Josef Krasoslav Chmelenský (1800–1839). It premiered on 2 February 1826 at the Estates Theatre in Prague. Under Škroup's urging, Chmelenský quickly wrote the libretto and handed it over to Škroup to compose the music. Škroup finished the score, which was influenced by the style of Viennese singspiel and French opéra-comique, by the end of 1825. As he saw this work as his first significant composition, he assigned it opus number 1. Škroup also took charge of the production and performed the lead tenor role himself. The premiere of the first original Czech opera was a significant cultural event, attended by key figures from Czech artistic and intellectual circles.

In Czech original
Approximate running time 120 minutes, one intermission
Premiere: August 18, 2022, as part of the Olomouc Baroque Festival

Photo Panda Foto pro Olomoucké barokní slavnosti

Saturday, February 22, 2025, 7 p. m., Estates Theatre
NATIONAL THEATRE
Luigi Cherubini: MÉDÉE

Conductor: Robert Jindra / David Švec
Stage director: Roland Schwab
Sets: Paul Zoller
Costumes: Sabine Blickenstorfer
Light Design: Franck Evin
Chorus master: Lukáš Kozubík / Pavel Vaněk
Dramaturgy: Lenka Dandová
Choreography: Ondřej Hučín

Médea: Svetlana Aksenova
Giasone: Evan LeRoy Johnson
Creonte: Marcell Bakonyi
Glauce: Jana Sibera
Neris: Arnheiður Eiríksdóttir
1st Maid: Magdaléna Hebousse
2nd Maid: Alžběta Vomáčková
Commander of the Royal Guard: Martin Potoma

National Theatre Chorus, National Theatre Orchestra, National Theatre Opera Ballet

Medea has fascinated numerous artists, from Antiquity to modern times – from Euripides through Seneca, Pierre Corneille, Franz Grillparzer, Jean Anouilh, Pier Paolo Pasolini and Heiner Müller, to contemporary creators. There is a number of operas based on this extremely dramatic, grisly and, notwithstanding (or owing precisely to) its brutality, highly human story. Medea sacrifices everything for her beloved Jason and saves his life on multiple occasions – and she only wants one thing in return: constant love. Yet Jason’s craving for power is stronger than his desire for Medea, hence after ten years of marriage he intends to abandon her to wed another woman, who will finally make his dream come true. Deeply hurt, the betrayed Medea decides to take revenge, not hesitating to dispense with that which mothers regard as the most sacred – the lives of her own children … One of those who set the final, most heart-wrenching part of the long Medea story was Luigi Cherubini, an Italian composer who spent most of his career in France.

Although written to a French libretto in Paris, Médée clearly reveals his having been inspired by Italian music, thus being a direct precursor of Rossini’s, Donizetti’s and Bellini’s operas. The Italian, early 20th-century, version of Médée, to be staged at the Estates Theatre, was primarily made famous in the 1950s and 1960s by the divine soprano Maria Callas, for whom Medea was an iconic role.

In Italian, surtitles in Czech, English
Premiere: January 23, 2025

Saturday, March 8, 2025, 7:30 p. m., La Fabrika (Komunardů 1001, Praha 7 – Holešovice)
ENSEMBLE OPERA DIVERSA
Ondřej Kyas: DRUHÉ MĚSTO (THE OTHER CITY)

Music, libretto: Ondřej Kyas
Conductor: Gabriela Tardonová
Stage director: Kateřina Křivánková
Sets and costumes: Sylva Marková
Video: Tomáš Hrůza
Light design: Anna Laborová
Production: Magdalena Dostálová, Jiří Čevela, Sylva Marková

Starring:
Jana Vondrů
Aneta Podracká Bendová
Alžběta Symerská
Michael Robotka
Tomáš Chloupek
Aleš Janiga
Pavel Slivka
Libor Skokan
Lukáš Riegel in the spoken role of Narrator

Ensemble Opera Diversa Orchestra, artistic director Jan Bělohlávek

Opera in two acts based on the novel of the same name by Michal Ajvaz

A strange book from a Prague antiquarian bookstore, written in an unknown handwriting, keeps the main character awake – bit by bit he uncovers the hidden secrets of the Other City and tries to understand its meaning. The longer he unravels its clues, the more the mysterious city absorbs him. What lies at the heart of the city? Will he survive the battle with the shark on the church tower? Can a man and a woman reach their dream beach? Will the green tram arrive?

The world premiere: December 16, 2023, in CO.LABS, Brno
Approximate running time 130 minutes, one intermission
In Czech original

Photo Marek Olbrzymek

Neděle 9. března 2025, 19:30, Vzlet (Holandská 669/1, 101 00 Praha 10 – Vršovice)
ENSEMBLE DAMIAN
Jan Josef Rösler: CANTANTA ON THE DEATH OF MOZART
Jan Branžovský: THE HOLOPRTY FESTIVITY

Stage director: Tomáš Hanzlík

KANTÁTA O MOZARTOVĚ SMRTI
Thálie – Markéta Israel Večeřová
Polyhymnia – Veronika Kaiserová
III. múza – Hana Solanská
IV. múza – Dorota Grossová

Petra Matějová – hammer piano
Martin Smutný – organ positive

HOLOPRTSKÉ POSVÍCENÍ Kuba – Matyáš Jirka
Franta – Martin Geržičák
Liduška – Kamila Škrachová
Reeve/Innkeeper– Radim Chmelík
Dorant – Arnau Petřivalský
Redvuta – Andrea Suchomelová
Minka – Anežka Procházková
Watchman – Nil Petřivalský

The modern premiere of a funeral composition from 1798 and a Czech singspiel from Třebechovice pod Orebem.

Although these two compositions may initially seem vastly different in theme, they surprisingly share many commonalities. Both musical works are preserved uniquely in the archive of the Prague Conservatory, only in the form of piano reductions. Both works are strongly connected to Mozart, with Rösler’s piece linked thematically and stylistically, and Branžovský’s both stylistically and through the transformation of Mozart’s music into a new form. For the Ensemble Damian's production, the piano reductions were enriched by the accompaniment of a chamber organ, based on the period practice of performing solo piano sonatas with continuo. In the case of the Cantata, this brings the sound closer to a sacred atmosphere, while in The Holoprty Festivity it evokes the mechanical instruments from the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

The young Rösler was employed as a conductor at the Estates Theatre from 1795, and it is likely that the Cantata on Mozart’s Death was performed there with local musicians, in a semi-staged memorial performance, at the site of Mozart’s greatest triumphs. In the cantata, the muses – the goddesses of creative inspiration – mourn the loss of the departed genius.

We have sadly little information about the life and work of composer, translator, actor, dramaturge, and passionate patriot Jan Branžovský (March 31, 1790, Třebechovice p. Orebem – ?). He was the son of locksmith Jan and his wife Anna, née Vintrová. His younger brother Václav (1801–1874) became a priest in Chotusice, and it is from his estate that the surviving score of the singspiel Veselá bída comes. Jan Branžovský studied first in Prague, where he was likely a vocalist. After his voice changed, he returned home and continued his studies at the gymnasium in Hradec Králové (1807–1810) and in Litomyšl (1811–1814). After 1814, he disappeared from records. According to reports preserved in literature, he was an active figure in his hometown’s theatre scene, the heart of Třebechovice’s amateur theatre. He played comic roles, directed performances, translated and adapted texts, and composed arias, duets, and choruses for every play. Only a few works survive: a singspiel based on the Czech translation of E. Schikaneder’s Die Lyranten oder das lustige Elend, the musical numbers for the singspiel Holoprtské posvícení (the author of the text and year of origin are unknown), and the orchestral overture Rytíř Odalinský aneb Nevinná pomsta vraždy (The Knight Odalinsky or The Innocent Revenge of Murder) that was adapted for piano and chamber organ and became the Sinfonia for the current production of Holoprty Festivity. In the first twenty measures, Branžovský quotes a theme from Mozart's Piano Sonata in C minor, KV 457, though in a major key, after which the musical development is independent. The plot was reconstructed based on clues found in the musical numbers, with the verse dialogues completed by Marek Řihák. The music for two sections, where pages were torn from the manuscript, was successfully reconstructed due to the periodic structure of the work.

Premiere: June 2, 2024, Regional Museum in Olomouc
Approximate running time 140 minutes, one intermission
In Czech original.

Photo Michal Málek

Sunday, March 16, 7:30 p. m., Divadlo Komedie (Jungmannova 15/1, Praha 1)
OPERA STUDIO PRAHA
Joris Barcaroli: SGANARELLE

Conductor: Sébastien Bagnoud
Stage direstors: Emma Barcaroli & Vojtěch Svoboda

Sganarelle – Jan Hájek
His wife – Denisa Hanušovská
Célie, young woman – Céline Barcaroli
Lélie, young man – Denis Béhina
Georgibus – Jan Kukal
Gros-René – Vojtěch Svoboda, pantomima
Villebrequin – Thomas Garcia, klaun

In cooperation with Compagnie Panta

Production of a Czech-French cooperation with Compagnie Pantai. Contemporary French composer Joris Barcaroli draws on the French musical tradition and sets Molière's work in the style of an operetta. Opera Studio Praha presents the work in Czech - using Karel Čapek's translation as the basis. The performance connects two different schools of pantomime as it developed in the Czech Republic and France. Although France is the cradle of pantomime, it is later associated more with clownery, so the French school is represented by a clown. The Czech school of non-verbal theatre is represented by a mime. These two mute roles together guide the story, each emphasizing its own uniqueness of expression.

In Czech original

Joris Barcaroli, Photo Tristan Manoukian

Friday, March 21, 2025, 7 p. m., The Villa Winternitz (Na Cihlářce 2092/10, Praha 5)
Kate Soper: HERE BE SIRENS
Haimoni Balgavá: ZVUKY DŽUNLE (SOUNDS OF JUNGLE)
Miloš Orson Štědroň: OPILCOVO DÍTĚ ANEB MALÝ MSTITEL (THE DRUNKARD'S CHILD OR THE LITTLE AVENGER)
Experimental Musical-Theatre Composed Evening

HERE BE SIRENS
Here Be Sirens is an opera/theatrical work by American composer Kate Soper, blending beautiful music, terrifying noise, grotesque comedy, and ancient tragedy. It portrays mythological sirens as real living beings, preoccupied with their origins and obsessed with the possibility of escaping their endless, monotonous desire. "Here Be Sirens" is a phrase once used on medieval maps to mark unexplored waters, warning of unknown dangers. It is also the title of the opera, where these creatures delve into the complexities of their origin, desires, sorrows, and fears through the one medium they master perfectly: song.

The opera is written for three sopranos and piano. The musical language draws from various influences, including vocal polyphony, monophonic melody, jazz harmony, and extended performance techniques. Harsh, raw music alternates with ethereal textures, spoken passages, songs accompanied by piano, and a cappella moments. The vocal parts in this opera are used melodically, harmonically, percussively, and as a prepared instrument.

Sets and stage director: Zuzana Fischer
Starring: Aneta Podracká Bendová, Eva Marie Kořená, Jana Vondrů

ZVUKY DŽUNGLE (SOUNDS OF JUNGLE)
The performance Sounds of Jungle by the duo HANA and HAIMONI offers a musical interpretation of Central American rainforests through the sounds of the flute, piano, singing, and dramatic, physical staging. The cycle plays with the listener’s imagination and uses improvisation, frequently shifting tonal colors and not shying away from silence. But does silence exist in the jungle? Although the piece employs extended instrumental techniques and may seem experimental in description, its vivid imagery makes it easily comprehensible to the audience. Haimoni Balgavá was awarded the international GENERATION 2021 prize for her Sounds of Jungle cycle (for flute and orchestra), and the version for flute and piano, which you will hear at the Opera festival, is a free continuation of that work

Starring:
Hana Hána – flute, vocals
Haimoni Balgavá – piano

OPILCOVO DÍTĚ aneb Malý mstitel (THE DRUNKARD'S CHILD or The Little Avenger)
The mini-opera for three characters and piano on a text by P. H. Cami was commissioned by the Teapot publishing house on the occasion of the bibliophilic publication of a collection of Cami's micro-comedies The Snail Tamer.

Libretto: Miloš Orson Štědroň

Starring:
Poor mother – Veronika Movsesyan
Disgraceful father – Martin Vodrážka
Good kid – Lea a Tea Štědroňovy
Piano – Miloš Orson Štědroň

Approximate running time 110 minutes, one intermission
In English (Here be Sirens) and Czech original

Photo Žaneta Havelková

Photo Jan Rasch

Sunday, March 23, 2025, 3 p. m., Pražský Hlahol (Masarykovo nábřeží 16, Praha 1)
OPERA LIDEM
Bedřich Smetana: PRODANÁ NEVĚSTA  (THE BARTERED BRIDE)

Stage director: Vladimír Chmelo
Music preparation: Ahmad Hedar, Vladimír Chmelo
Costumes: Roman Šolc
Acrobatic figures: Jurij Kolva

Piano: Ahmad Hedar
Clarinet: Aleš Hustoles / Tomáš Hustoles / Tomáš Čistecký
Acrobatic figures: Taneční akrobacie Jurije Kolvy

Mařenka – Tereza Mátlová
Jeník – Peter Berger
Kecal – Daniel Hůlka
Vašek – Peter Malý Krušina – Vladimír Chmelo
Krušinová – Markéta Dvořáková
Mícha – Petr Matuszek
Háta – Kateřina Jalovcová
Esmeralda – Dana Šťastná
Principal – Matěj Doležal
Indian – Jiří Stejskal
Innkeeper – Petra Prýmková
Child – Rozárka Hůlková

Opera presented in a way that audiences rarely experience: up close, within reach, and in an unconventional setting. Featuring outstanding soloists and a carefully adapted, intimate, and playful production.

Situated along the Vltava embankment, between the Dancing House and the National Theatre, stands the Hlahol Society House, a stunning Art Nouveau masterpiece by Josef Fanta, home to Alfons Mucha's final great work. It is here that the Opera for the People ensemble stages the quintessential Czech opera, Smetana’s The Bartered Bride, with top Czech and Slovak singers. The production focuses on simplicity, tradition, high artistic quality, and accessibility for a wide audience, from families with children to seasoned opera lovers. This famous comic opera is presented in a thoughtfully abridged version with spoken dialogue, accompanied by a chamber ensemble of piano and two clarinets. The production highlights key aspects of Czech character—humor, musical lyricism, and light-heartedness. With well-known tunes like “Why Shouldn’t We Be Happy” and “I Know a Girl,” the audience is drawn right into the heart of the opera.

In Czech original
Premiere: March 6, 2024
Approximate running time 130 minutes, 1 intermission

Photo archiv Opera lidem

Saturday, March 29, 2025, 8 p. m., Studio Hrdinů
(Veletržní palác, Dukelských Hrdinů 7/530/47, Praha 7 - Holešovice)
OPERATIVA
David Ryan, Vít Zouhar, Rocc: I-ME

Concept, music, sound art, live performance: David Ryan, Vít Zouhar
Concept, production: Rocc

Starring
Katja Konvalinka – vocals
Sanja Nešković Peršin – performer
Jaroslav Topinka – sound

Co-production with the Slovenian Chamber Music Theatre

A research and experimental opera project that seeks to explore new musical theatre forms and open the boundaries of what opera can be.

The project takes as its starting point the use of texts and words in the development of early operas of the late Renaissance, whose librettos drew heavily on Ovid's Metamorphoses. This is the fourth part of the free opera cycle ECHO-Metamorphoses that the director Rocc launched in 2015 together with Vít Zouhar (Prague Quadrennial 2015) and on which Natalia Ushakova (Festival Opera Prague, 2017) and ISHA Trio (Prague Quadrennial 2019) collaborated.

The complex history of early operas and their intellectual background in attempts to modernize Greek drama according to historical principles remains a fascinating puzzle for contemporary practice. The libretto itself, written in various living, dead, and artificially constructed languages, draws on the mythological theme of Echo and incorporates numerous epigrams from the famous Anthologia Graeca of the 7th century BC. These epigrams offer us tremendous insight into the evolution of poetry and its intertwining with memory and time. The literal translation of the word "epigram" is "inscription," and these inscriptions serve as prompts for travelers along the way. They are aphoristic statements about life in general, reflecting on the human condition, meditations on loss, and documenting desire and sexual whims, as well as playful uses of words and concepts, but above all, the play of time itself.

The grand myths remain present throughout the anthology but are confronted by the realities of everyday life. Today, they function as found objects – topics that are often distant and off-putting, yet also strangely close and present. Research into ancient music has surprisingly led to the exploration of melody and the invention of simple scalar progressions. The sound investigates the possibilities of something entirely elemental, thereby opening up new acoustic, vocal, and spatial opportunities. The composition contains a number of fragments that can be observed like a mosaic. I-ME reflects stories, events, and destinies—what has happened cannot be forgotten as long as the inscriptions remain legible. And when they are forgotten, they will still be present through their absence. The inscriptions are boundary markers that delineate the territories of thoughts, laws, beliefs, and actions. The I-ME project, therefore, is an echo of the unforgettable.

Premiere: December 8, 2022, as part of Opera Schrattenbach Festival
Approximate running time 60 minutes, no intermission
In English and Esperanto

Photo Darja Štravs Tisu

Saturday, April 5, 2025, 11 a.m., Municipal Library of Prague (Mariánské náměstí 98/1, Praha 1)
CHILDERN´S OPERA PRAGUE
Jaroslav Křička: TLUSTÝ PRADĚDEČEK A LOUPEŽNÍCI (THE FAT GREAT-GRANDFATHER AND THE ROBBERS)

Conductor and musical arrangement: Jan Šimůnek
Stage director: Jiřina Marková Krystlíková
Sets: Jiří Votruba
Costumes: Michaela Vernerová
Light design: Ivo Dankovič
Chorus master: Ondřej Kunovský

Soloists and choir of Children’s Opera Prague
Orchestral players of the National Theatre

It Turned Out Well or The Fat Great-Grandfather, the Robbers and the Detectives is a two-act opera by Jaroslav Křička, based on the fairy tale of the same name by Josef Čapek. The premiere took place at the National Theatre in Prague on December 29, 1932, performed by its drama company. For the Year of Czech Music, the Prague Children's Opera decided to re-study this fairy tale.

A cheerful story about a chubby great-grandfather who goes to sell a horse at the market in Hradec and on his way back gets caught in a fierce storm in the forest. He runs to take shelter in the nearby inn called "At the Golden Jug". Unaware that a gang of robbers is having their ball there, he is first robbed by them, but the great-grandfather outsmarts them with the help of constables and Detective Sherlock Holmes. Thus, he can return home to his beloved great-grandmother with a cheerful song, accompanied by his dog Voříšek.

Approximate running time 60 minutes
In Czech original

Photo Libor Galia

Sunday, April 6, 2025, 3 p. m., Church of the Hus Congregational House (Wuchterlova 523/5, Praha 6)
Emil Viklický: ORÁČ Z ČECH (THE PLOUGHMAN FROM BOHEMIA)

Libretto: Pavel Dominik
Stage director: Rocc
Conductor: Ema Mikešková
Production: Kulturní Morava

Starringí:
Death – Michaela Zajmi
Ploughman – Aleš Briscein

The author of the music is one of the most important Czech musicians Emil Viklický (1948), a jazz pianist and composer, a graduate of the American Berklee College, playing and composing "across various musical genres". He has garnered acclaim on Czech and international stages, not only as a musician performing in leading jazz groups (alongside the most prominent stars of the jazz music world), but also as a composer of artistic music. Several of his larger music-dramatic works fall into this area of creation. One of the most significant is the opera Der Ackermann aus Böhmen (The Ploughman of Bohemia), based on the work of a German-language Czech author known as Jan of Žatec. His work is one of the oldest and at the same time most important literary creations written in the Czech cultural context and became a link between the Czech and German-speaking inhabitants of the "Heart of Europe".

Director's word: I perceive Emil Viklicky's opera "The Ploughman of Bohemia" as a spiritual opera. Pavel Dominik's libretto is based on the medieval disputation of Jan of Žatec from 1401, and the very fact that it refers to a mind more than 600 years old and imbued with an emerging humanism gives this musicalized "dialogue" an absolutely timeless dimension. The ploughman, allegorically the prototype of a man trying to come to terms with the death of his beloved wife, speaks to the personified Death about the meaning of human life, and finally comes to the "divine judgment" itself: the role of Death in life is weighty, it gives meaning to life, and again, without life there would be no death either. What is important in life are firm moral goals – and faith. But what are moral principles nowadays and what is there to believe in? These are the questions to which this piece leads us to. Even today we still try to avoid death, instead of stopping in the hectic times, taking time to talk to it. That's how we learn something, that's how we understand this beautiful life better.

Sunday, April 6. 2025, 7 p. m., Riding Hall Savarin (V Cípu 1, Praha 1)
LIEDER SOCIETY
SONGS OF LOST SOULS

Stage directors: Marie Anna Valíčková, Šimon Hrdlička
Piano: Vojtěch Červenka

Starring:
Tamara Morozová – soprano
Bella Adamova – mezzo-soprano
Monika Jägerová – alt
Kristýna Kukalová – mezzo-soprano
Radek Martinec – baritone

Co-production with RUN OPERUN

Site-specific Song Happening

Enter a world of the bizarre and eerie, where lost souls come to life in the dark atmosphere of the 19th century. This unusual happening will take you to an old cemetery created in the Savarin riding school. Here, individual souls tell their tragic, sometimes grotesque stories. Music by J. Brahms, F. Schubert, C. Schumann, F. Liszt, G. Mahler, A. Dvořák, Z. Fibich, A. V. Horák. The band's dramaturgy draws on the fascination with the aesthetics of darkness, ugliness and the supernatural that dominated artistic circles at the time, and combines it with folklore full of terrifying and mysterious motifs.

The audience is plunged into a world where melancholy and terror are intertwined with a longing for redemption. Haunted figures and ghosts are brought to life through music to find salvation at the end of the evening. These strange stories are brought to life by the leading artists of the young generation together with the participants of the Mladý salón (Young Salon) concert education platform.

This bizarre musical-dramatic event will not leave you cold – brace yourself for an evening of suspense, mystery and unexpected emotions that will draw you into the world of the strange and unknown.

Opening night 4 November 2024.

Photo Barka Fabiánová

Monday, April 7, 2024, 7 p. m., State Opera
NATIONAL THEATRE BRNO
Richard Strauss: SALOME

Music preparation: Marko Ivanović
Conductors: Marko Ivanović, Ondrej Olos
Stage director: David Radok
Sets: Dragan Stojčevski
Costumes: Zuzana Ježková
Light design: Přemysl Janda
Choreography: Andrea Miltnerová
Dramaturgy: Patricie Částková

Herodes – Jaroslav Březina
Salome – Linda Ballová
Jochanaan – Birger Radde
Narraboth – Vít Nosek
Nobleman Herodias – Jana Hrochová
1. Jew – Zbigniew Malak
2. Jew – Pavel Valenta
3. Jew – Petr Levíček
4. Jew – Michael Robotka
5. Jew – Kornél Mikecz
1. Nazarene – Josef Škarka
2. Nazarene – Zoltán Korda
1. soldier – Josef Škarka
2. soldier – David Nykl
Cappadocian – David Nykl
Slave woman – Jitka Zerhauová

Orchestra of the Janáček Opera of the National Theatre Brno, Dancers

A girl is dancing. One by one, as she moves sensuously, her seven veils fall to the ground. She is dancing to please King Herod, and she wants only one thing for it – the head of the man she loves. He has refused to reciprocate her love, and Salome longs for at least a kiss from his dead mouth…

Expressive, short and shocking – this is how Strauss's opera Salome, based on a play by Oscar Wilde, could be described in brief. Inspired by the Bible story about the charming Salome, the daughter of King Herod, and her obsessive love for the prophet Jochanaan, Salome provoked a real scandal during the premiere. Thanks to its strong, dramatic music and rich orchestral colors, it became a worldwide sensation and has rightly remained as such to this day.

Premiere: June 17, 2023, at the Janáček Theatre in Brno
n German original, with Czech, English and German subtitles
Approximate running time 1 hour 45 minutes, no intermission

Suitable for ages 15 and older

Photo Marek Olbrzymek

Wednesday, April 9, 2025, 7 p. m., State Opera
NATIONALÍ THEATRE – STATE OPERA
Giacomo Puccini: MANON LESCAUT

Conductor: Andrij Jurkevyč / Piotr Staniszewski
Stage director: Sláva Daubnerová
Sets: Alexandre Corazzola
Costumes: Tereza Kopecká
Light design: Daniel Tesař
Choreography: Jan Adam
Chorus master: Adolf Melichar
Dramaturgy: Jitka Slavíková

Manon Lescaut: Ghiulnara Raileanu / Petra Alvarez Šimková
Lescaut: Lukáš Bařák / Czaba Kotlár
Renato des Grieux: Peter Berger / Milen Božkov
Geronte di Ravoir: Jiří Sulženko / František Zahradníček
Edmondo: Martin Šrejma / Daniel Matoušek
Innkeeper / Sergeant of the archers: Ivo Hrachovec / Roman Vocel
Dance Master / Lamplighter: Josef Moravec / Vít Šantora
Musician: Michaela Zajmi / Kateřina Jalovcová

State Opera Chorus, State Opera Orchestra, National Theatre Opera Ballet

A life with the wealthy Geronte would offer the pretty Manon luxury, yet it would be devoid of passion. And great passion is what Manon enjoys with the poverty-stricken Chevalier Renato des Grieux. She must make a choice. Failing to do so is fateful for her …

Premiere: March 27, 2025, The State Opera
In Italian original, with Czech and English subtitles

Monday, April 14, 2025, 7 p.m., Estates Theatre
MORAVIAN-SILESIAN NATIONAL THEATRE (OSTRAVA)
Nino Rota: Il capello di paglia di Firenze (The Florentine Straw Hat)

Conductor: Marek Šedivý
Stage director: Jiří Nekvasil
Sets: David Bazika
Chorus Master: Jurij Galatenko
Dramaturgy: Juraj Bajús

Fadinard, rich young man: Berk Dalkijić / Martin Šrejma
Nonancourt, The farmer: Martin Gurbaľ / Miloš Horák
Beaupertuis: Jiří Hájek / Roman Vlkovič
Strýc Vezinet, the death: Václav Morys / Josef Moravec
Emilio, Lieutenant: Pavel Divín / Daniel Kfelíř
Felice, Fadinard's servant: Martin Javorský / Peter Svetlík
Achille di Rosalba / Guard: Rudolf Medňanský, Vincenc Ignác Novotný
Chaplain of the Guard: Ihor Maryshkin / Tomasz Suchanek
Elena, Nonancourt's daughter: Lada Bočková / Veronika Rovná
Anaide, Beaupertuis' wife: Miroslava Časarová / Barbora Perná
Baronesa from Champigny: Anna Nitrová / Alžběta Vomáčková

A comic opera by a composer best known for his music in Federico Fellini's films and The Godfather trilogy. However, in the shadow of these Oscar-winning and other accolades, Rota's remarkable body of work in symphonic, chamber, and music-dramatic compositions is often overlooked. A striking example of his versatile musical talent is the comic opera The Florentine Straw Hat, with a libretto inspired by the famous farce by Eugène Labiche and Marc Michel. This story gained extraordinary popularity in the Czech Republic, particularly thanks to Oldřich Lipský's 1971 film adaptation starring the brilliant Miloš Kopecký.

Set in mid-19th century Paris, the story draws viewers into a world of absurd situations, mistaken identities, and uproarious humour. It follows Fadinard’s chaotic and adventurous wedding day, after his horse eats the straw hat of a stranger. His desperate attempt to replace the hat before the situation turns into a scandal leads him through a series of increasingly absurd escapades, encountering a colourful cast of characters along the way. Rota’s music, filled with lively melodies, witty orchestration, and inventive musical motifs that highlight the comedic elements of the plot, perfectly complements the whimsical nature of the story. It’s a masterful blend of Italian buffa, neoclassical style, playful energy, and the composer’s brilliant sense of comedic timing. The Florentine Straw Hat is one of the essential gems of 20th-century comic opera, and its delightful music, timeless humour, and irrepressible joy of life now come to you in its Czech premiere.

The Czech premiere: March 13, 2025, Antonín Dvořák Theatre
In Italian original, with Czech and English subtitles

Monday, April 14, 2025, 3:00 p. m. / 4:30 p. m./ 6:15 p. m., 2025, Václav Havel Square
(National Theatre piazzetta)
DUNAMI ENSEMBLE
František Chaloupka: ROZLUČKA SE SVOBODOU (STAG PARTY)

Mini-opera, concept: František Chaloupka and Tomáš Hlaváček

Sopranos: Jana Vondrů, Aneta Podracká Bendová
Saxophones: Antonín Mühlhansl, Radim Hanousek, Pavel Zlámal, Pavel Šabacký

Keep moving forward, and preferably faster. Don’t stop.
Moving, yet not moving. Born in motion, attached to the battery of movement from birth.
The apostles of techno-optimism, the priestesses of acceleration, celebrate their lives on scooters, spreading unwavering faith in techno-optimism.
But from time to time, a crisis hits. One of the characters begins to be gnawed by techno-skepticism and starts to slow down…

This street performance responds to current societal events, aiming to bring the opera genre closer to passersby who might not usually engage with it. In doing so, the audience becomes part of the performance, creating a unique experience. Farewell to Freedom by František Chaloupka explores the theme of voluntary loss of freedom due to technological progress.

In Czech original
Approximate running time 12 minutes

Photo Martin Popelář

Friday, April 18, 2025, 7 p. m., Estates Theatre
MORAVIAN THEATRE OLOMOUC
Pietro Mascagni: CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA
Ruggero Leoncavallo: PAGLIACCI

Music preparation: Petr Šumník
Conductor: Marek Madeja / Petr Šumník
Stage director: Veronika Kos Loulová
Dramaturgy: Viktorie Vášová
Sets: Petr Vítek
Costumes: Vojtěch Hanyš
Light design: Jan Hugo Hejzlar
Choreography: Martin Talaga
Chorus master: Lubomíra Hellová

SEDLÁK KAVALÍR
Santuzza: Zuzana Jeřábková
Turiddu: Raman Hasymau
Lucia: Jitka Zerhauová
Alfio: Roman Vlkovič Lola: Barbora Perná

KOMEDIANTI
Canio: José Ansaldi
Nedda: Barbora Perná
Tonio: Minsoo Ahn
Beppe: Luis Carlos Hernándes Luque
Silvio: Daniel Kfelíř

Moravian Theatre orchestra, chorus and ballet, Children's choir - BoDo centrum, o.s. under the direction of Hana Vyroubalová

Cavalleria Rusticana is a story of love and betrayal that ends in tragic death. The dramatic plot is supported by powerful music, which amplifies every mood and emotion. In contrast, Pagliacci offers more thematic depth. One of the key themes that became central to the production team is the life of artists and their role in society. At the same time, a crucial element in Pagliacci is the "play within a play" motif. Can we tell what is rehearsed and what arises from improvisation? What is theatre and what is reality? What is intentional, and what spins out of control?

Premiere: December 15, 2023, Olomouc
In Italian original, with Czech and English subtitles
Approximate running time 3 hours, one intermission

Photo - Tereza Valnerová