Bedřich Smetana: The Bartered BrideCzech National Theatre, Prague

Despite premiering to a half-empty house at Prague’s National Theatre in 1866, The Bartered Bride has become an integral part of the Czech repertoire. Composed by Bedřich Smetana to a libretto by Karel Sabina, this comic opera tells the tender, ordinary story of Mařenka and Jeník, two young peasants in love who come up against the tyranny of social conventions, but gather all their wits to get around them... Conducted by Jaroslav Kyzlink of the Prague National Theatre Orchestra, soprano Kateřina Kněžíková and tenor Richard Samek deliver a highly intense vocal performance in the roles of the ultimately triumphant lovers. Directed by Alice Nellis, this production relocates the action – traditionally set in a picturesque village – to the heart of a peripheral housing estate. With its unprecedented meta-artistic dimension, it questions the status of an “untouchable” work by giving us a behind-the-scenes insight into the creation of a new version.

Recorded on 20 December 2023 at the National Theatre in Prague.