Czech Republic Smetana, The Brandenburgers in Bohemia: Soloists, Chorus, Ballet and Orchestra of the National Moravian-Silesian Theatre / Jakub Klecker (conductor). Antonín Dvořák Theatre, Ostrava, 5.12.2024. (GT)
Following five years in Sweden, for his first opera, The Brandenburgers in Bohemia, Bedřich Smetana was inspired to portray the history of the Czech aspiration for freedom and chose a libretto by Karel Sabina that describes a traumatic period in Czech history between 1278 and 1283. Sabina based his text loosely on the eponymous story by Josef Kajetán Tyl and Vaclav Tomek’s History of the City of Prague. Smetana entered this opera for a competition under the motto: ‘Music is the language of emotion; the word is the language of the idea.’ Premiered in 1866, the opera won the competition two months later. For his first opera, the composer adopted the style of French grand opera with the chorus playing an important part in a plot set against a historical background and a love story. The background follows the factual circumstances of the death of Přemysl Otakar II, after which the Kingdom of Bohemia fell under the rule of the Margrave of Brandenburg – Otto I, for a spell of five years. The tyrant Otto – regardless of family relations – imprisoned his nephew Prince Václav leaving his mercenaries to pillage the country.
The opera opens with a plea by the Bohemian knight Oldřich to the Mayor of Prague to resist the German invaders, and warns of traitors nearby, yet Volfram shows reluctance to fight and seeks a peaceful resolution, but a young townsman Junoš declares that fighting has already broken out in the city, and the Brandenburgers have taken hostage the Queen and Crown Prince. Everyone rises up and take their swords into battle. Volfram’s soldiers cry out in challenging the incursion, ‘Slavnyá Praha’, (‘Glorious Prague!’).
On Volfram’s estate, Volfram’s three daughters enter and are spied upon by a young German Jan Tausendmark who has been promised the hand of Ludiše by Volfram – but she rejects him. Tausendmark makes a deal with the Brandenburger Varneman to kidnap Ludiše and her sisters, Vlšenka and Dĕčana. Now, in a Prague square – as the Brandenburgers loot the city – the poor rise up against the townspeople who support the Germans. The rebels make the former serf Jíra their king, and he leads a great chorus ‘No more in poverty’s plight. Now we triumph in our fight!’ In desperation, Ludiše pleads for help, Jíra disarms Tausendmark, yet the Brandenburgers capture her again and the scene closes with a dance portraying the struggle between the Brandenburgers and the townspeople of Prague. In an attempt to restore order, the Mayor of Prague Volfram arrives with his entourage and faces down the rebellion. Tausendmark – now entrusted by Volfram – falsely accuses Jíra of abducting the girls and Volfram has Jíra arrested.
In Act II, the poor people of Prague flee from the Brandenburgers, in their plight, a patriarch utters a prayer, and the people are inspired by his singing, ‘Holy God!’ raising up a cross above in a chorus seeking salvation, but now in leaving the pillaging of Prague, the Brandenburger captain Varneman and his troops stops them. Now, in a total reversal of fortunes – Otto of Brandenburg has sent a messenger to declare the mercenaries must leave the city in three days. Back in the city, the Prague nobles condemn Jíra to death, and in his defence, Jíra accuses Tausendmark of using his position to befriend the German invaders. Tausendmark acts as prosecutor and the enchained Jíra is taken away on a cart to face his punishment.
In Act III, intent on taking Ludiše, Tausendmark offers Varneman a ransom for the freedom of the Volfram’s daughters, hoping that he can leave with the Brandenburgers, however Varneman resents the treacherous Tausendmark, and he stands by as the people rise up – and led now by the young citizen of Prague, Junoš – the people free Jíra and capture Tausendmark. Volfram thanks Jíra for freeing his daughters, and in celebration of the victory of truth, justice and sovereignty of the Czech lands, the people rejoice.
It is easy to see why this opera is so rarely performed: firstly, there is the imbalance of the male and female voices with the domination by six male voices, contrasted by one leading female role in Ludiše. The libretto is also flawed with the extended original version of unwieldly length, compared to this condensed version in the second and third acts. There is also a sharp disparity in the first act between the uprising of the poor people of Prague against the wealthy townspeople who support the invaders, and the scene of prayer and the sacred chorus in the second act. However, a powerful feature of the opera is the marvellous singing for both male and female choruses and the mixed one in emotionally moving scenes, firstly of nationalist fervour, later of revolutionary chants, and the sacred prayers, and finally the victorious liberation of the Czechs in the grand celebratory finale.
Jiří Nekvasil’s staging (first seen in 2018) set the tone for the evening by opening impressively with Volfram’s court surrounded by his soldiers, while above on a bridge, Oldřich tells of the invasion of the mercenaries from Brandenburg. A very effective scene was that during the narration by Oldřich, the Brandenburgers in their helmets and armour entered the auditorium staring menacingly out at the audience. Throughout the performance, the bridge structure dominated above the stage – from which narrations were voiced – alternating with ballet dancing portraying the conflict between the people and the mercenaries.
Of the male characters, Roman Vikovic’s Oldřich was a dramatically imposing baritone, while the Volfram of Michael Kubečka was a splendid darkly toned bass (he was always seated on his throne and wheeled on and off the stage which seemed to impart his weakness against the invaders). Martin Bárta’s villainous Tausendmark had an imposing stage presence – and for me – was the finest male singer of the evening with his vibrant, rich baritone and powerful characterisation. The tenor Petr Leviček’s portrayal of Varneman was outstanding with an important role throughout the show, and the poor people’s anointed king, Gianluca Zampieri’s Jíra, played his part to the full in his vibrant tenor and moving portrayal. The Ludiše of Veronica Rovná was by far the finest female singer, she has a wonderful soprano, with great projection and a warm timbre able to portray all the passion of her role. I was already impressed by her singing in The Two Widows earlier this year, and also by her portrayal in The Kiss which were featured in the Smetana Festival here in Ostrava last March. Her tremendous performance overshadowed her two sisters, Vlšenka and Dĕčana – though the soprano Anna Nitrová exhibited fine singing, as did the contralto Šárka Hrbáčková – yet had little to show as Ludiše enjoyed the best of Smetana’s vocal writing of the three sisters.
Zuzana Bambušek Krejzková’s costume designs related to the period of the Middle Ages, and they differentiated between the Bohemian reds and blues against the grey and dark hued colours of the Brandenburgers. The sets and the backdrops by Petr Matásek showed a sleeping maiden and the fields of the Bohemian countryside and there were simple designs for the Mayor’s palace and the Prague square, all helping to facilitate the opera’s narrative. The choreography by Lea Bessoudo Greck and the movement by Jana Tomsová enhanced the whole show with the mercenaries entering the auditorium making a connection with the audience; as did several of the singers to emphasise the incursion by the Brandenburgers, and this was added to by the dancing portraying the struggle of the people against the invaders.
In all this was an outstanding production revealing the early promise of Smetana as an opera composer and which was brought out fully by the brilliant orchestral performance directed by Jakub Klecker, showing Smetana’s maturity as a composer, and by the terrific choruses and by the singing of the principal characters of Ludiše, Tausendmark, Varneman, Volfram, Jíra and Oldřich. This was a fine culmination to the Smetana anniversary year and accentuated that Bedřich Smetana was a composer with the history and fate of the Czech nation close to his heart.
Gregor Tassie
Production:
Stage director – Jiří Nekvasil
Set designer – Petr Matásek
Costumes designer – Zuzana Bambušek Krejzková
Choreographer – Lea Bessoudo Greck
Movement director – Jana Tomsová
Dramaturgy – Juraj Bajus, Eva Františáková
Chorus master – Jurij Galatenko
Cast:
Volfram Olbramovič – Michael Kubečka
Oldřich Rokycanský – Roman Vikovič
Junoš – Martin Javorský
Tausendmark – Martin Bárta
( – Petr Levíček
Jíra – Gianluca Zampieri
Ludiše – Veronica Rovná
Vlšenka – Anna Nitrová
Dĕčana – Šárka Hrbáčková
Patriarch –
Herald – Erik Ondruš
Bibic – Waldemar Wieczorek