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 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.

Full performance streamed on OperaVision from 19 July 2024 at 19:00 CET to 19 January 2025 at 12:00 CET: https://operavision.eu/performance/kiss

CAST

Father Paloucký
František Zahradníček

Vendulka
Veronika Rovná

Lukáš
Martin Šrejma

Tomeš
Jiří Rajniš

Martinka
Lucie Hilscherová

Barče
Marta Chila Reichelová

Matouš
Josef Kovačič

The Border Guard
Václav Morys

Morningstar
Stela Machová
Nela Starková

Orchestra
National Moravian‐Silesian Theatre Orchestra

Chorus
National Moravian‐Silesian Theatre Chorus

Music
Bedřich Smetana

Text
Eliška Krásnohorská (based on the short story by Karolína Světlá)

Conductor
Marek Šedivý

Director
Jiří Nekvasil

Sets
Jakub Kopecký

Costumes
Simona Rybáková

Movement Director
Jana Tomsová

Chorus Master
Jurij Galatenko

Dramaturg
Juraj Bajús

OperaVision is a freeview opera streaming platform, supported by the European Union's Creative Europe programme. Watch live streams as the performances themselves unfold in the opera house. Enjoy a variety of shows - including opera, operetta, musical theatre, dance, ballet and concerts. Opera connaisseur or curious newcomer, there is something for everyone on OperaVision.

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