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Czech Spirit Enlivens J.O.C.'s Bartered Bride By ADAM BRANDOW
The origins of Czech opera often seem more political than artistic. The Czechs had been subject to Luxembourgian, Polish, and (finally, in 1526) Austrian rulers since the 14th century. The failed anti-Habsburg uprising of 1620—a date as significant to the Czechs as 1066 is to the English—marked the end of the hope for Czech self-sovereignty. During the next 200 years the former kingdoms of Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia became more and more integrated into the German Catholic Habsburg Empire. Prague University, the fourth oldest in Europe, was handed over to the Jesuits in 1624, and the German-speaking minority was eventually granted increased civil power. In 1780, the Czech language was officially abolished in schools, and four years later German had replaced Latin as the empire's administrative foundation. By the mid-19th century, the Czech middle class had become almost entirely Germanized. Teutonic culture was increasingly seen as the mark of high society and learning, while Czech was regarded as primitive—relegated to peasants and the lower classes.
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| A costume sketch by Jamie Scott for the character of Marenka in The Bartered Bride. |
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The revolutionary spirit of the 19th century brought about the revival of Czech nationalism, and with it the beginnings of the Czech operatic tradition. The foundations of the movement were laid during the century's early decades, with the publication of various linguistic and scholarly works (all, ironically, in German). These were followed by numerous literary publications, including Bozena Nemcova's much loved novel Babicka (The Grandmother) in 1855, in which she extolled the simplicity of rural Czech life and the duty of future generations to preserve their cultural heritage.But the true indicator of the re-emergence of nationalist culture was the eventual success of the Czech theater. Although Czech plays and light operas—mostly adaptations of Viennese Singspiels—had been presented in Prague since the 1780s, it was not until the relatively calm political atmosphere of the 1860s that we see the opening of the exclusively Czech Provisional Theater. The true beginnings of the Czech opera tradition can be traced to this house, although (as the name suggests) it was not a permanent institution and was replaced 20 years later by the new National Theater. Yet it was the fervently nationalist atmosphere of the Provisional Theater that inspired Smetana and his contemporaries, and supported the development of the uniquely Czech body of opera repertoire.Like most Bohemians of his generation and class, Bedrich Smetana—born in 1824 in the western region of what is now the Czech Republic—was raised and educated in a German-speaking household. Oddly, many of the principal Czech opera composers of the 19th century (including Dvorak, Fibich, and to some degree, Janacek) felt most comfortable expressing themselves in German. Smetana only began learning Czech as an adult and, according to historian John Tyrrell, never quite reached a level of fluency. He famously began a letter to a friend by apologizing in advance for his childish mistakes in grammar and orthography. Despite his linguistic shortcomings, he succeeded in writing eight Czech operas and securing his reputation as the genre's leading figure.Each of Smetana's operas fits into one of three thematic groups: serious operas based on Czech history or myth; comic folk operas celebrating rural life; and operas which are best described as following the Mozartean Magic Flute model, in which characters are changed by metaphorical challenges. But it is his overwhelmingly popular second opera, The Bartered Bride, that has made its way into the standard repertory and (along with works such as Nemcova's The Grandmother) remains one of the most loved pieces of Czech national identity.
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| Eve Shapiro discussing The Bartered Bride with colleagues. She will direct the J.O.C.'s production of the opera on April 27 and 29, and May 1. (Photo by Lisa Yelon) |
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Brian Large, Smetana's foremost English biographer, writes that "not since Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro had there been anything in opera to compare with this, so sparkling and graceful, of such admirable quality, both delicate and robust." The opera is set in a Bohemian village during a spring festival. Two young lovers, Jenik and Marenka, wish to marry but are unable as she has been promised to Vasek, the son of Tobias Micha, a local landholder. Kecal, the crafty marriage broker who arranged the proposed nuptials, tries to offer Jenik another bride and a handsome reward if he agrees to renounce Marenka. Surprisingly, he agrees on the condition that he receive more money and a written agreement that she may only be permitted to marry Tobias Micha's son. Marenka is furious when she learns that she has been sold (perhaps a more fitting translation than bartered) and, in despair, agrees to marry Vasek. However, Jenik intervenes and reveals that he is, in fact, the lost son from Tobias Micha's first marriage—and that, according to the agreement, he has the right to marry Marenka. The day ends happily (for everyone but Kecal, that is).The most significant source of "Czechness" in The Bartered Bride is arguably the language itself. Czech is unique in that it relies heavily on trochees, or a meter that stresses the first syllable (for example, human). The literary popularity of iambs (stressing the second syllable) in earlier Czech libretti led to unnatural settings that ultimately worked against the effect of the language. In his libretto for The Bartered Bride, Karel Sabina created a text with a truly Czech sound that Smetana highlighted by re-creating the qualities of the language in the score. Whereas composers have commonly turned to folksong in attempts to establish the feeling of nationalism, Smetana avoided direct quotation in favor of incorporating traditional dance rhythms and other folk mechanisms (strophic structure, choruses, and variable tempi) to create the aura of folk music. In The Bartered Bride, for instance, specifically named dance patterns include skocna, furiant, polka, and sousedska.Eve Shapiro, who will direct Juilliard's production of the opera in April, spent last summer traveling in the Czech Republic to prepare for this production. She was especially influenced by her visits to small villages very much like the one in which the opera takes place. She feels that this story is best presented in its original context, and that updating the setting results in much of the work's Czech soul being lost. "Modern audiences are able to relate to the major themes of land, money, and love," she says. "The music is vibrant, honest, and shows inexhaustible energy, and the characters are real people," she adds. As The Bartered Bride is rarely sung in Czech, Shapiro chose a translation by the English poet Tony Harrison that she believes captures the original wit and style while "adapting, not distorting, the work." She feels that performing the work in English allows the singers to truly connect with the language and focus on drama. Character depth is perhaps the opera's greatest quality, she points out, as each figure is so carefully developed through his or her music. Kecal, whose name means "babbler," enters in Act 1 with octave leaps and a patter that suits his personality, while Vasek is "like a boy playing hopscotch."
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Juilliard Opera Center
Smetana: The Bartered Bride
Juilliard Theater
Wednesday-Sunday, April 27-May 1
For time and ticket information, please see
the calendar.
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Another of the opera's significant features is the dancing, which choreographer Jeanne Slater calls "spontaneous and organic." She compares the choreography to Smetana's theatrical folk music that refers to the tradition without quoting specific ideas. "The dances should appear natural and impromptu, especially given the context in which they occur," she says. "These are hearty people enjoying their day off, simply expressing their natural cheerfulness and high spirits."Though presented in English, this production certainly retains the freshness and vitality of the original Czech, due in part to the wonderful translation by Tony Harrison and Jeanne Slater's dynamic choreography. Beth Foreman, the administrative director of vocal arts, calls Slater's work teaching opera students to perform dances and other choreographed segments in Juilliard's productions a "developing tradition," and adds that she continues to achieve great results.Adam Brandow is special events coordinator and assistant to the artistic director of vocal arts.
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