Most opera goers are familiar with Smetana\u2019s \u201cThe Bartered Bride.\u201d Yet, if asked to name one of his seven other operas, many would struggle to come up with an answer, which is not too surprising given how infrequently they are staged in theaters outside of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. This in itself gives rise to the question of why they are not presented more regularly. Is \u201cThe Bartered Bride\u201d the only one of Smetana\u2019s operas that is deserving of frequent performances? Maybe it is the quality of the libretti?<\/p>\n
If one were to read the libretto to his opera, \u201cThe Kiss,\u201d for example, one would no doubt be disinclined to rush out for a ticket. Written in 1875 by Eli\u0161ka Kr\u00e1snohorsk\u00e1, the narrative relates the tale of Vendulka and the widowed Luk\u00e1\u0161, who are in love with each other. He is desperate to marry her, and she is desperate to marry him. Unfortunately, she is a strong-willed woman with a finely tuned sense of what is right and wrong, while he is a strong-willed man in a hurry. He wants to kiss her, but she refuses, as she wants a decent period of time to pass after the death of his wife. He storms off and attempts to embarrass her by cavorting with the local girls, causing Vendulka to run off. Luk\u00e1\u0161, after some searching, finds her and apologizes. She forgives him and offers to kiss him. However, he is so ashamed of his behavior that he refuses, feeling he is not worthy of it. Finally, they are reconciled, bringing the opera to a happy end.<\/p>\n
It is hardly a tale to get the pulse racing. The fact that both the protagonists are decent people does little to spice up the plot, and the appearance of a gang of smugglers provides little in the sense of danger or ill-intent as their leader, Matou\u0161, is also a well-meaning soul who tries to help them. Nor is it an in-depth psychological exploration of a man and woman in love. It is all superficially played out; nothing is too deep; nothing strays too far from the stereotypical. It is basically a light tale set in the Czech countryside, full of peasantry, farmyards and forests.<\/p>\n
Yet the production by the Slovak National Theatre Opera proved that this is actually a nicely crafted work that zips and bubbles along. The director, Andrea Hlinkov\u00e1, did not even make an effort to turn it into something different; there was no attempt to uncover hidden themes or play up subconscious motivations. Rather, she embraced the opera for what it was – a simple folk tale – and staged it in that manner. The costumes, designed by Boris Hanecka, were traditional in appearance, although with the occasional twist, either for comedic effect or aesthetic reasons, which successfully complemented Miriam Struh\u00e1rov\u00e1\u2019s sets that were rustic in design. They, too, were traditional, containing the occasional oddity; in the first act, set in Paloucky\u2019s house, for example, some of the furniture was positioned at odd angles and was half-submerged beneath the floor, possibly suggesting that things are not quite as balanced as they appear to be on the surface.<\/p>\n
The night scene set in the forest that opens Act two was expertly staged. Shadowy, dark trees sprouted from left and right, between which a pathway dropped towards the front of the stage. Everything was covered in a white mist, out of which emerged the band of smugglers, semi-camouflaged as animals, allowing them to move between roles as smugglers and night animals. It was very atmospheric and conjured up a feeling of the supernatural. It was also a very dramatic scene that acted as a strong contrast to the domestic scenes that surrounded it and prevented the work from becoming too monotonous or one-paced.<\/p>\n
Hlinkov\u00e1 also used the scene to introduce an apparition of Luk\u00e1\u0161\u2019 dead wife, who signifies her blessing for the union of the two lovers. She is not included in the libretto, but it was a good decision on the part of the director, as receiving such validation made Vendulka\u2019s change of heart far more convincing.<\/p>\n
Unsurprisingly, the relationship between the two lovers was at the center of Hlinkov\u00e1\u2019s presentation throughout the evening, which she handled boldly yet with sensitivity to create a totally believable relationship. However, she also embraced the librettist\u2019s original idea about the work, which was to portray the life of and the dynamics in a typical Czech village in the first half of the 19th<\/sup> century. This was achieved mainly through the use of the chorus, which was given a very active role. Rather than standing around passively, singing their pleasant folk-inspired choruses, it was used to pressure Vendulka and Luk\u00e1\u0161 to conform to the ways of the village, crowding around them and waving scythes and other farm implements in an attempt to bring them into an acceptable relationship. It was a clever device that allowed the pressure to manifest itself visually. At the same time, it also added depth to the context of life in a small village, which can be inward-looking and intolerant of infractions of even minor behavioral norms.<\/p>\n Hlinkov\u00e1o decorated the drama with a light touch of comedy; nothing too heavy, but enough to raise the occasional laugh without detracting from the seriousness of the relationship between the lovers. This was again mainly achieved through the chorus. For example, at one point, the peasants all donned sunglasses to see more clearly what was going on. There were also other instances, such as Vendulka\u2019s light blue and white costume with her blond hair tied up in blue ribbons, which gave her an amusing childlike appearance and accentuated her innocence.<\/p>\n In total, it amounted to a visually pleasing production with a strong forward momentum that managed to make the most of what on paper appeared to be a thin plot.<\/p>\n The musical side of the performance was managed by the conductor Jaroslav Kyzlink, who produced a vibrant, beautifully balanced reading from the SND Opera Orchestra. From the outset, there was vibrancy and brio that swept the drama forward: the overture sparkled, the choruses oozed energy, and their folksy, light melodies were dispatched with a charming swagger. He elicited sensitive readings from the soloists in which their changing emotions were expertly captured, shifting the soundscape from the warm and detailed to the light and breezy to the angry and fractious while managing to maintain musical coherence over the course of individual scenes.<\/p>\n The star of the evening was certainly soprano M\u00e1ria Porub\u010dinov\u00e1\u00a0in the role of Vendulka, whom she portrayed as an emotionally sensitive yet strong-willed individual who appeared prepared to give up the man she loved for her principles. In what was a convincing performance, both the flexibility of her acting and singing impressed as she adapted to her character\u2019s changing moods with ease. When stubbornly resisting Luk\u00e1\u0161\u2019 pleadings for a kiss, her voice was resilient and tinged with an increasingly defiant tone as his frustrations and insistence increased. Minutes earlier, her voice was soft and lyrically engaging as she sang a love duet with him. Towards the end of Act one, she sings the lullaby \u201cGo to sleep, my little angel\u201d to Luk\u00e1\u0161\u2019 son, in which her voice took on a sweet, calming quality. Yet it is also a voice capable of moving easily into the upper register and rising above the chorus and orchestra to create a thrilling musical climax. Moreover, she was always sensitive to the other singers, so there was always a pleasing balance in the ensemble pieces.<\/p>\n Tenor Tom\u00e1\u0161 Juh\u00e1s was a fairly impulsive and hot-headed Luk\u00e1\u0161, prone to outbursts of anger that, however, stopped short of physical violence. He was passionate and convincingly displayed his deeply held feelings for Vendulka, notably so in their duet, \u201cWe belong to one another,\u201d in which he successfully showed off his sweet, lyrical singing with its radiant glow in the upper register. He was equally at home when losing his temper, as he altered his mode of expression to voice his frustrations.<\/p>\n Vendulka\u2019s father, Paloucky, was played by bass Jozef Benci, who produced a polished performance that captured his character\u2019s wisdom and his authoritative position within the household. Singing with a relaxed air, he exuded a degree of gravitas that commanded respect, which was amplified by his resonant, expressive and carefully crafted phrasing.<\/p>\n Vendulka\u2019s aunt, Martinka, was essayed by mezzo-soprano Ter\u00e9zia Kru\u017eliakov\u00e1, who produced a lively reading in which she played up the character for all its worth. She was always up to something, either advising or consoling Vendulka on her relationship with Luk\u00e1\u0161, involving herself with the smugglers\u2019 web to gain a little extra money, or joining in with general goings-on. She possesses a rich, colorful palette, which she used intelligently to bring vocal depth to her character.<\/p>\n In a similar vein, baritone Daniel \u010capkovi\u010d produced a larger-than-life presentation of Luk\u00e1\u0161\u2019 brother-in-law, Tome\u0161. He was always taking the opportunity to have a bit of fun with the women, but he was also genuinely concerned for Luk\u00e1\u0161\u2019 wellbeing. His singing was resonant, clearly articulated and beautifully crafted to bring out the meaning of the text. His duet with Luk\u00e1\u0161, \u201cJust ask her for forgiveness,\u201d was particularly successful in showing off his sensitivity to the dramatic situation.<\/p>\n Soprano Andrea Viz\u00e1ri, cast in the role of the servant girl, Bar\u010de, produced a suitably good-natured, flirtatious reading that captured her character\u2019s youthful energy and enthusiasm. Her Act two aria, \u201cAnnounce little bird,\u201d reflected her nature beautifully as she indulged in a light, breezy rendition that showed off her pleasing, rather than scintillating, coloratura and nicely adorned phrasing to good effect.<\/p>\n The role of the smuggler, Matou\u0161, was given a strong and lyrically appealing presentation by the bass Jiri Pribyl. His direct, firm and expressive singing gave him a strong presence, which his horned costume magnified. His part in the trio \u201cWhy did I ever believe it?\u201d showed off his voice splendidly as he combined sensitively with Martinka to console Vendulka in one of the work\u2019s most attractive pieces.<\/p>\n An underwhelming libretto it may be, but \u201cThe Kiss\u201d has more to it than one may expect. Certainly, Smetana\u2019s music alone, with its beautiful melodies, is worth the price of a ticket, and with a director sensitive to its possibilities, as in this case, the drama is able to hold the attention of the audience.<\/p>\n It is also amazing to reflect on the fact that Smetana was deaf when he composed the opera.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" (Photo: Henrich Mi\u0161ovi\u010d) Most opera goers are familiar with Smetana\u2019s \u201cThe Bartered Bride.\u201d Yet, if asked to name one of his seven other operas, many would struggle to come up with an answer, which is not too surprising given how infrequently they are staged in theaters outside of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. This in itself gives rise to the {…}<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":86288,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,73],"tags":[21857,21855,21854,17933,21856,16235,21851,21041,3814,21853,21852,7779],"class_list":["post-86265","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-review","category-stage-reviews","tag-andrea-hlinkova","tag-andrea-vizari","tag-daniel-capkovic","tag-jaroslav-kyzlink","tag-jiri-pribyl","tag-jozef-benci","tag-maria-porubcinova","tag-slovak-national-opera","tag-smetana","tag-terezia-kruzliakova","tag-the-kiss","tag-tomas-juhas"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nA Musically Strong Performance<\/strong><\/h3>\n