The Kiss holds a unique place in Smetana’s oeuvre; it was the first operatic work he composed after the great personal tragedy of completely losing his hearing. Eliška Krásnohorská adapted a short story by Czech realistic writer Karolina Světlá for the composer, setting it to rhyming verses and creating one of the best librettos he ever received. A seemingly banal story – with almost no dramatic potential – belies deep emotional and psychological depth, and Smetana turned it into a brilliant opera filled with an exquisite musical characterisation of picturesque figures, rural traditions and superstitions. First and foremost, he created a heartfelt image of the pure souls of ‘simple’ folk. The production was staged as an integral part of the Smetana Opera Cycle Ostrava 2024 by director and National Moravian-Silesian Theatre’s Intendant Jiří Nekvasil and Music Director of Opera Marek Šedivý is brought to our readers by Slippedisc, courtesy of OperaVision
The Plot: a twist of fate offers the young widower Lukáš and his former lover Vendulka a second chance at the happiness once denied them. However, their short tempers, stubborn natures and lack of mutual understanding leave the lovers vulnerable to a serious quarrel all on account of a mere kiss.
The Kiss is streamed on Friday 19th July 2024 at 1900 CET / 1800 London / 1300 New York
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