Dear Juvenilians,
As the first event in our Eastern Europe series, the new Juvenilia Board proudly presents our first-ever visit to the Czech Republic’s stunning capital Prague.
We will visit two gorgeous opera houses featuring two operas with intense dramatic narratives centered around strong female protagonists: Šárka and Tosca.
Program:
Saturday, November 9, 19:00 @ The National Theatre
ŠÁRKA
Šárka is a dramatic opera by Zdeněk Fibich that premiered in 1897. It tells the story of a legendary Bohemian warrior woman who leads a revolt against men, striving to regain the privileges they enjoyed during the reign of the mythical Princess Libuše. The music of Šárka is characterized by its romantic style, rich orchestration, and expressive melodies that vividly depict the story’s intense emotions and dramatic action. Fibich, a Czech composer of the late 19th century, is renowned for his operas, symphonic poems, and piano works, contributing significantly to the development of Czech national music alongside contemporaries like Bedřich Smetana and Antonín Dvořák.
We will attend the 2nd premiere of the new production, which revives this Czech gem on the very stage where it originally debuted. This marks a unique opportunity to see this piece, which has not been on the program for over 40 years. It will be conducted by Robert Jindra, music director of the National Theatre, who has invited the German stage director Kay Link. English surtitles are above the stage.
Sunday, November 10, 17:00 @ The State Opera
TOSCA
Young Italian conductor Vincenzo Milletarì’s adaptation of Giacomo Puccini’s beloved masterpiece features Josef Svoboda’s legendary 1947 scenery dating from the era of the May the Fifth Grand Opera. Be prepared for dramatically inclined, diffusely illuminated painted sets, which were reproduced in 1999 by Daniel Dvořák. English subtitles are at your seat.
