The hilarious and festive opera The Bartered Bride by composer Bedřich Smetana shines as the finest example of Czech folklore. This production by the Teatro Real features masterful musical direction by Gustavo Gimeno and brilliant stage direction by Laurent Pelly, set in a world that shifts between the countryside and the circus.
The ingenious story draws on the rural traditions of Bohemia and national folklore. The comic drama unfolds when an ambitious matchmaker attempts to force a marriage of convenience that threatens to destroy the true love of a young couple. When a troupe of comedians arrives in the village, family misunderstandings lead to an unexpected twist in a vibrant and moving finale.
Comic opera in three acts
Music by Bedřich Smetana
Libretto by Karel Sabina
Premiered at Provisional Theatre (Prague) on 25 september 1870
Premiered at Teatro Real on 6 march 1924
Production by Teatro Real, in co-production with Opéra national de Lyon, Oper Köln and Théâtre Royal de La Monnaie (Brussels)
Artistic team
Musical conductor | Gustavo Gimeno
Stage direction and costumes | Laurent Pelly
Set design | Caroline Ginet
Chorus Conductor | José Luis Basso
Cast
Krušina | Manel Esteve
Ludmila | María Rey-Joly
Mařenka | Natalia Tanasii
Micha | Toni Marsol
Háta | Monica Bacelli
Vašek | Moisés Marín
Jeník | Sean Panikkar
Kecal | Martin Winkler
Main comediant | Jaroslav Březina
Esmeralda | Rocío Pérez
Indio | Ihor Voievodin
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