{"id":101522,"date":"2024-01-31T12:38:49","date_gmt":"2024-01-31T17:38:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=101522"},"modified":"2024-01-31T12:38:49","modified_gmt":"2024-01-31T17:38:49","slug":"interview-dr-john-holland-talks-about-the-year-of-czech-music-opera-fest-in-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2024\/01\/31\/interview-dr-john-holland-talks-about-the-year-of-czech-music-opera-fest-in-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERVIEW | Dr. John Holland Talks About The Year Of Czech Music Opera Fest In 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"
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L-R: Dr. John Holland; graphic for The Bartered Bride<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The tradition of celebrating the Year of Czech Music began exactly one hundred years ago in 1924 with the centenary of the birth of composer Bed\u0159ich Smetana. It\u2019s been celebrated many times since then, but 2024 coincides with the 200th year anniversary of the composer’s birthday, giving the occasion added weight.<\/p>\n

It will be celebrated in Toronto with a festival of three rarely-heard operas organized by John Holland and the Canadian Institute for Czech Music, of which he is the Founder and President, together with Opera by Request.<\/p>\n

Both musicologist and opera singer, Dr. John Holland founded the C.I.C.M. in 2013 with the goal of promoting Czech music, which, due to historical and political forces, has not generally seen the kind of exposure and appreciation of its Western European counterparts.<\/p>\n

The Year of Czech Music Opera Fest<\/h2>\n

The festival consists of three staged operas through 2024, presented together with Opera By Request.<\/p>\n

Smetana: Prodan\u00e1 Nev\u011bsta (The Bartered Bride)<\/h3>\n

Saturday, March 9, 2024 | Victoria College Chapel<\/p>\n

The best known of Smetana\u2019s operas, and considered an important milestone in Czech music, the comedy was composed with a libretto by Karel Sabina. It was first performed in Prague in 1866, but was not much of a success at first. After revisions, it was reintroduced in 1870, and its popularity grew from that moment forward. It was part of Smetana\u2019s goal of creating a truly Czech version of opera. His score incorporates many elements of Czech folkloric music, including polkas and other dances, without directly referencing folk songs.<\/p>\n

The story is set in a village, and focuses on the attempts to marry off Ma\u0159enka, a village girl. Her parents use the services of the village marriage broker, while she pines after young Jen\u00edk. The villagers add their two cents, a traveling circus throws a monkey wrench into the works \u2014 can true love prevail?<\/p>\n

Jan\u00e1\u010dek: V\u011bc Makropulos (The Makropulos Affair)<\/h3>\n

Saturday, May 7, 2024 | College Street United Church<\/p>\n

Based on the play of the same name by Karel \u010capek, the opera in three acts was composed between 1923 and 1925. The story begins with a legal case that\u2019s been brewing for a nearly 100 years. The main character is Emilia Marty, an opera singer, (or Elina Makropulos, as we later learn…) who\u2019s scheming to retrieve a mysterious document hidden within the legal briefs…<\/p>\n

It was performed a few times in Prague and Germany during the latter 1920s, but didn\u2019t gain in popularity until a London production revival in 1964. It was first performed in the US in 1966, and not in the original Czech language until 1998. It has still only been presented a handful of times on this side of the Atlantic.<\/p>\n

Dvo\u0159\u00e1k: Jakob\u00edn (The Jacobin)<\/h3>\n

Friday, October 25, 2024 | Trinity-St. Paul\u2019s United Church<\/p>\n

The original libretto in Czech was written by by Marie \u010cervinkov\u00e1-Riegrov\u00e1, using characters from writer Alois Jir\u00e1sek’s story At the Ducal Court, but in an original plot. The Jacobin is a pastoral comedic opera in three acts that premiered in 1889. After revisions by both composer and librettist, it premiered for a second time in 1898.<\/p>\n

The romantic comedy revolves around Bohu\u0161, son of Count Vil\u00e9m of Harasov, who returns home estranged from his eccentric father, and the romantic misadventures of the townsfolk. The character of schoolmaster and choirmaster Benda, and his daughter Terinka, are central to the story.<\/p>\n