Concert performance of Libuše to mark Smetana’s 200th anniversary

A special concert performance of Bedřich Smetana’s opera Libuše will be performed at Prague’s Rudolfinum on Tuesday, marking the 200th anniversary of the great Czech composer’s birth. The event, featuring Czech opera stars Kateřina Kněžíková and Adam Plachetka, is part of the Prague Spring international music festival.

Bedřich Smetana’s opera Libuše about Bohemia’s mythical female ruler was first performed in 1881 at the opening of the National Theatre in Prague and then again at the reopening of the theatre after the first building was destroyed by fire.

Libuše opera|Photo: Wikimedia Commons, public domain

The composer himself expressed his wish that the work should be performed only exceptionally, on particularly memorable days of the Czech nation. Among those special occasions was, for instance, the declaration of independence of Czechoslovakia in 1918.

This Wednesday, a new concert performance of Libuše will be staged at Prague’s Rudolfinum, marking 200 years since Smetana’s birth. It will be performed by the Czech Philharmonic and the Prague Philharmonic Choir, conducted by Jakub Hrůša.

Hrůša, who currently heads the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, has appeared on Prague Spring music festivals already on 12 occasions and has twice opened the event with Smetana’s My Country. The conductor says he has a very special connection to his music:

Jakub Hrůša|Photo: Petra Hajská, The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

“Libuše presents a great challenge in Smetana’s oeuvre. The opera was composed prior to My Country. And while you can see that in My Country, Smetana’s music evolved, Libuše was perhaps more ambitious. Smetana composed it when he could still hear, whereas My Country was composed when was completely deaf.”

Although there are several part of Libuše most Czechs are really familiar with, the opera is actually played infrequently on Czech stages and almost never internationally. Jakub Hrůša again:

“I think we cannot get rid of the monumental layer in Libuše. The character, as described in Josef Wenzig’s libretto, is a little more schematic than Smetana's portrayal of her. That’s because Smetana as a composer always tried to approach every work and every character with utmost humanity.”

Kateřina Kněžíková|Photo: Czech Radio

Staring in the role of the mythical princess, who marries Přemysl the Ploughman, will be Czech opera singer Kateřina Kněžíková. Kněžíková, who is currently recovering from an illness, says her intention was to create an entirely original character that is not based on any previous performances.

“I am currently drinking lots of mineral water because I was sick for two weeks prior to the rehearsals for Libuše. I also have cryotherapy, where the temperatures is -35 degrees, to speed up my recovery.”

Another Czech opera star, Adam Plachetka, will appear alongside Katerina Knežíková as Přemysl the Ploughman. The special performance, called Glorious Libuše, is already sold out in Prague but audiences will still have a chance to hear it at Smetana’s Litomyšl festival in June.