The Jacobin

Tickets
Address Národní 2, Praha 1
Tags Opera
Venue's website www.narodni-divadlo.cz…
Length 180 min
Director Jiří Heřman
Release 8. 10. 2011
Author Antonín Dvořák

Performing: Ondrej Mráz, Roman Janál, Dana Burešová, František Zahradníček, Aleš Voráček, Alžběta Poláčková, Jan Markvart, Jiří Hájek, Yvona Škvárová

Dvořák’s The Jacobin is one of the most popular and most frequently performed Czech operas. To date, the National Theatre has staged twelve productions, most recently in 1993. The story, depicting life in a small Czech town on the one hand and the return of a “suspicious” émigré to his homeland on the other, is often understood in a somewhat simplistic, hyperbolic manner. Yet it is rather borne – primarily owing to Dvořák’s musical genius – in an ambiguous atmosphere of melancholy, sentiment, humorous bird’s-eye view and self-irony. As in many other similarly tuned Czech dramatic works, here too all the accumulated and pointed conflicts end up in humble, conciliatory and amicable lesson-learning.

At the end of the 18th century, Bohuš, a count’s son, who at one time was hounded out by his father owing to his liberalism returns to an idealised Czech town. Yet before he is allowed to reconcile with his father, he and his wife have to experience a slew of provincial intrigues which the locals direct both at themselves and – because of his being suspected of “Jacobinism” – against Bohuš and his wife. We encounter a number of stock and popular dramatic types – the happily amorous Jiří and Terinka, between whom the big-headed burgrave Filip wants to drive a wedge, the count’s power-hungry nephew Adolf, as well as the good-natured teacher Benda.

More events in venue

Hordubal Praha 1, National Theatre (historical building) Hordubal
Hordubal Praha 1, National Theatre (historical building) Hordubal
Cinderella Praha 1, National Theatre (historical building) Cinderella
Maryša Praha 1, National Theatre (historical building) Maryša

© 2024 GoOut