Libuše (opera)
Encyclopedia
Libuše is a '"festival opera" in three acts, with music by Bedřich Smetana
. The libretto was originally written in German by Josef Wenzig, and was then translated into Czech by Ervin Špindler. In Czech historical myth, Libuše
, the title character, prophesied the founding of Prague
. The opera was composed in 1871-1872 for the coronation of Franz Josef as Czech king. This didn't happen and Smetana saved Libuše for the opening of the National Theatre
in Prague
, which took place nine years later on 11 June 1881. After the destruction of the National Theatre in a fire, the same opera opened the reconstructed theatre in 1883. The first US performance was reported to have occurred March 1986, in a concert version at Carnegie Hall
with Eve Queler
and the Opera Orchestra of New York.
Commentators have noted the pageant-like nature of the opera and the influence of Richard Wagner
in the music.
The brothers Chrudoš and Sťáhlav are fighting over the settlement of their father's estate, with Queen Libuše as arbiter. Czech law dictates either co-management or equal division of the land. German law, which Chrudoš, the elder, favours, would demand primogeniture
, where the elder sibling would inherit the entire property. Libuše decides in favour of equal division, to the anger of Chrudoš, who leaves. Because some of her male subjects, including Chrudoš, do not fully accept the idea of a woman as their ruler, Libuše then asks her subjects to choose her husband. They say that she should make her own decision on her spouse, where it turns out that she prefers the farmer Přemysl. The act ends as the subjects worry about Chrudoš and the possibility that he will sow discord.
Act II:
Scene 1: Part of the reason for Chrudoš' ill humour is revealed, in the relationship of Chrudoš to Krasava. Chrudoš loves Krasava, who returns his sentiments, but considers him insufficiently romantic in his personality. Krasava thus feigns romantic interest in Sťáhlav to make Chrudoš jealous. Her father, Lutobor, asserts his authority and demands that she reconcile the quarreling brothers. Krasava then challenges Chrudoš to either (a) forgive and embrace her, or (b) kill her with his sword. Chrudoš takes the route of forgiveness, and reconciles with Sťáhlav.
Scene 2: Přemysl is watching over the harvest on his lands. A royal escort then arrives to bring him to Queen Libuše, to be married.
Act III
A celebration of the double wedding, of Libuše to Přemysl, and of Krasava to Chrudoš, is taking place. Přemysl devises a way for Chrudoš to apologize to the queen while still saving face. A moment of prophecy then takes hold of Queen Libuše, and she tells of future visions for the Czech nation.
Bedrich Smetana
Bedřich Smetana was a Czech composer who pioneered the development of a musical style which became closely identified with his country's aspirations to independent statehood. He is thus widely regarded in his homeland as the father of Czech music...
. The libretto was originally written in German by Josef Wenzig, and was then translated into Czech by Ervin Špindler. In Czech historical myth, Libuše
Libuše
Libuše, Libussa or, historically Lubossa, is a legendary ancestor of the Přemyslid dynasty and the Czech people as whole. Libuše was the wisest of the three sisters and prophesied the foundation of Prague from her castle Libušín...
, the title character, prophesied the founding of Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
. The opera was composed in 1871-1872 for the coronation of Franz Josef as Czech king. This didn't happen and Smetana saved Libuše for the opening of the National Theatre
National Theatre (Prague)
The National Theatre in Prague is known as the Alma Mater of Czech opera, and as the national monument of Czech history and art.The National Theatre belongs to the most important Czech cultural institutions, with a rich artistic tradition which was created and maintained by the most distinguished...
in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, which took place nine years later on 11 June 1881. After the destruction of the National Theatre in a fire, the same opera opened the reconstructed theatre in 1883. The first US performance was reported to have occurred March 1986, in a concert version at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
with Eve Queler
Eve Queler
Eve Queler is an American conductor and the current Artistic Director of the Opera Orchestra of New York . She founded the OONY in 1971 after having worked on the staffs of the Metropolitan Opera and the New York City Opera....
and the Opera Orchestra of New York.
Commentators have noted the pageant-like nature of the opera and the influence of Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
in the music.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 11 June 1881 (Conductor: Adolf Čech) |
|---|---|---|
| Queen Libuše | soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody... |
Marie Sittová |
| Chrudoš | bass | Karel Čech |
| Sťáhlav, younger brother of Chrudoš | tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2... |
Antonín Vávra |
| Radmilla, sister to Chrudoš and Sťáhlav | contralto Contralto Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above... |
Betty Fibichová Betty Fibichová Betty Fibichová was a Czechoslovak opera singer and the wife of composer Zdeněk Fibich. The greatest Czech operatic contralto of her day, she enjoyed close artistic partnerships with both Antonín Dvořák and Bedřich Smetana in addition to collaborating frequently with her husband.-Biography:Born... |
| Krasava | soprano | Irma Reichová Irma Reichová Irma Reichová was a Czech operatic soprano who had an active career appearing in European opera houses during the latter half of the nineteenth century. A dramatic soprano, she was admired for both her musical and acting talent... |
| Lutobor, father to Krasava | bass | František Hynek |
| Přemysl, a farmer from Stadice | baritone Baritone Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or... |
Josef Lev |
| Radovan | baritone | Leopold Stropnický |
Synopsis
Act IThe brothers Chrudoš and Sťáhlav are fighting over the settlement of their father's estate, with Queen Libuše as arbiter. Czech law dictates either co-management or equal division of the land. German law, which Chrudoš, the elder, favours, would demand primogeniture
Primogeniture
Primogeniture is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn to inherit the entire estate, to the exclusion of younger siblings . Historically, the term implied male primogeniture, to the exclusion of females...
, where the elder sibling would inherit the entire property. Libuše decides in favour of equal division, to the anger of Chrudoš, who leaves. Because some of her male subjects, including Chrudoš, do not fully accept the idea of a woman as their ruler, Libuše then asks her subjects to choose her husband. They say that she should make her own decision on her spouse, where it turns out that she prefers the farmer Přemysl. The act ends as the subjects worry about Chrudoš and the possibility that he will sow discord.
Act II:
Scene 1: Part of the reason for Chrudoš' ill humour is revealed, in the relationship of Chrudoš to Krasava. Chrudoš loves Krasava, who returns his sentiments, but considers him insufficiently romantic in his personality. Krasava thus feigns romantic interest in Sťáhlav to make Chrudoš jealous. Her father, Lutobor, asserts his authority and demands that she reconcile the quarreling brothers. Krasava then challenges Chrudoš to either (a) forgive and embrace her, or (b) kill her with his sword. Chrudoš takes the route of forgiveness, and reconciles with Sťáhlav.
Scene 2: Přemysl is watching over the harvest on his lands. A royal escort then arrives to bring him to Queen Libuše, to be married.
Act III
A celebration of the double wedding, of Libuše to Přemysl, and of Krasava to Chrudoš, is taking place. Přemysl devises a way for Chrudoš to apologize to the queen while still saving face. A moment of prophecy then takes hold of Queen Libuše, and she tells of future visions for the Czech nation.
Discography
- 1949, Alois Klíma (conductor), Symphony Orchestra and Chorus of the Prague Radio; Marie PodvalováMarie PodvalováMarie Podvalová was a Czech opera singer who had a long career at the National Theatre in Prague from 1936-1978. A dramatic soprano who excelled in the Czech repertoire, she garnered particular acclaim for her portrayal of the title heroine in Bedřich Smetana's Libuše...
, Theodor Šrubař, Karel KalašKarel KalašKarel Kalaš was an Czech operatic bass and film and television actor. He first rose to prominence at the Slovak National Theatre where he was a member from 1934 through 1939. He left there to join the roster of principal singers at the National Theatre in Prague where he worked until his...
, Beno BlachutBeno BlachutBeno Blachut was a lauded Czech operatic tenor. An icon in his own nation, Blachut drew international acclaim through his many commercial recordings of Czech music. He was an instrumental part of the post-World War II school of Czech opera singers that were responsible for popularizing Czech opera...
, Jaroslav Veverka, Bořek Rujan, Ludmila ČervinkováLudmila ČervinkováLudmila Červinková was a Czech operatic soprano who had a celebrated international career during the 1930s through the 1960s. She notably had a long and fruitful association with the National Theatre in Prague from 1942 until 1966...
, Marta Krásová, Miluše Dvořáková, Miloslava Fidlerová, Věra Krilová, Jaroslav Gleich
- Jaroslav Krombholc (conductor), Prague National Theatre Orchestra and ChorusNational Theatre (Prague)The National Theatre in Prague is known as the Alma Mater of Czech opera, and as the national monument of Czech history and art.The National Theatre belongs to the most important Czech cultural institutions, with a rich artistic tradition which was created and maintained by the most distinguished...
; Naděžda KniplováNaděžda KniplováNaděžda Kniplová is a Czech operatic soprano who had an active international career from the 1950s through the 1980s. Kniplová possessed a large voice with a sonorous, metallic, dark timbre that was particularly well suited to the dramatic soprano repertoire...
, Vacláv Bednár, Věra SoukupováVěra SoukupováVěra Soukupová is a Czech mezzo-soprano.Born in Prague, Soukupová studied singing at the Prague Conservatory and privately with Luis Kadeřábek and A. Mustanová-Linková...
- 1983, Zdeněk Košler (conductor), Prague National Theatre Orchestra and Chorus; Gabriela Beňačková-ČápováGabriela BenackováGabriela Beňačková is a Slovak soprano.She specializes in the music of her compatriots, particularly Eugen Suchoň, as well as Czech composers, notably Bedřich Smetana and Leoš Janáček. She is considered to be one of the greatest 'Jenufa's' in Janáček's opera of the same name...
, Václav ZítekVáclav ZítekVáclav Zítek is a Czech opera singer. A lyric baritone with a beautiful timbre and a wide vocal range, he was one of the leading Czech singers of the postwar generation. He particularly excelled in portraying Janáček and Smetana heroes...
, Antonín ŠvorcAntonín ŠvorcAntonín Švorc was a Czech operatic bass-baritone. He studied with J. Berlíka at the Prague Conservatory before making his professional opera debut at the Liberec Theatre in 1955 where he was committed for one year. He joined the roster of principal artists at the National Theatre in Prague in 1956...
, Leo Marian VodičkaLeo Marian VodičkaLeo Marian Vodička is a Czech operatic tenor who has had an active international career since the early 1970s. He has sung on a number of complete opera recordings and appears in several filmed opera performances....
, Eva Děpoltová
- 1995, Oliver Dohnányi (conductor), Prague National Theatre Orchestra and Chorus; Eva UrbanováEva UrbanováEva Urbanová is a Czech operatic soprano who has had an active international career since 1987. She has been a principal artist at the National Theatre in Prague since 1990 and has appeared as a guest artist at many of the world's best opera houses, including La Scala in Milan and the Metropolitan...
, Vratislav Kříž, Luděk Vele, Miloslav Podskalský, Miroslava Volková, Marie Veselá, Jan Markvart, Miroslav Švejda, Pavel Červinka, Jana JonášováJana JonášováJana Jonášová is a Czech opera singer. One of the most important Czech coloratura sopranos of her generation, she has had an active international career at the world's major opera houses and concert stages for roughly four decades. As an opera singer she performed a varied repertoire from a...
, Jitka Soběhartová, Helena Kaupová