Bedřich Smetana is considered to be the founder of modern Czech music not only for his world-known compositions but also for his organisational and conducting activities. As principal conductor of the Prague Provisional Theatre between 1866 and 1874, Smetana gave birth to the first permanent Czech opera ensemble—the Prague National Theatre’s opera ensemble! In 1874, however, Smetana had to give up this work due to health issues, but he never stopped composing. During this period, Smetana completed not only three operas but also major chamber works such as two string quartets or the violin duets From the Homeland and, above all, the cycle of symphonic poems My Fatherland.

Opera works are the cornerstone of Bedřich Smetana’s remarkable oeuvre. He completed a total of eight operas, each of which is a mature, consistent, and in terms of dramaturgy highly original work presenting a different musical and dramatic universe. There are few world-class composers whose relatively extensive operatic oeuvre can be presented as a collection of equivalent compositions, even though each piece differs in its dramaturgy and genre.

The Ostrava opera company first presented all of Smetana’s complete operas in the sixth year of its existence in 1924, later in 1956, and for the last time in 1984! At that time, the Prague National Theatre performed the Smetana cycle as well, but no other opera house here or anywhere else in the world has attempted it since then. Since 1989, Smetana’s operas have largely disappeared from the repertoires of Czech opera houses and have only been performed very sporadically, less frequently than they deserve.

The dramaturges of National Moravian-Silesian Theatre’s opera company have decided for a major change and devised a systematic project to revive Bedřich Smetana‘s eight complete operas over the course of a decade as of 2014. In the 2023/2024 season, all the operas will be phased in until February 2024 and in view of the composer’s birth and death anniversaries on 2 March and 12 May staged as a complete cycle in two terms: 2–10 March and 4–12 May 2024.

The project began in 2014 with the opening of the composer's last opera THE DEVIL'S WALL (Čertova stěna) after which THE BRANDENBURGERS IN BOHEMIA (Braniboři v Čechách)  followed in 2016. In April 2017 THE SECRET (Tajemství) was added to the repertoire. All three productions will be revived with a new cast during the cycle in the 2023/2024 season. The opera company rehearsed THE KISS (Hubička) at the beginning of the 2021/2022 season and THE TWO WIDOWS (Dvě vdovy) at its end. THE BARTERED BRIDE (Prodaná nevěsta) has been coproduced with the Slovene Opera Ballet Ljubljana and premiered in December 2022. The opera DALIBOR is waiting for its opening night in June 2023 and will be coproduced with JK Tyl Theatre in Pilsen.
 
As determined by the composer, LIBUŠE will be staged as a unique festival opera and performed as a staged concert in cooperation with the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava and Prague Philharmonic Choir. The stage installation for Libuše will be created by renowned artist Jiří David and curator and stage director Martin Dostál.
 
The Smetana Opera Cycle Ostrava 2024 aims to create productions offering a contemporary theatrical perspective on Smetana’s operas—a perspective abounding with imagination, contextual awareness, full respect for the works, their rich inner world, and music. At the same time, considering the cycle as an interpretative challenge, a new generation of Czech and foreign performers of Smetana repertoire will be given the opportunity to grow.
 
One of the most important ambitions, however, is bringing Smetana’s complete operatic oeuvre closer to contemporary Czech and foreign audiences to offset the exclusion of Smetana from the repertoire of Czech opera houses over the last three decades. Undoubtedly, the Smetana Opera Cycle Ostrava 2024 offers an exceptional opportunity to experience all the operas by Smetana in an intensive period of time.

Jiří Nekvasil
intendant of the National Moravian-Silesian Theatre