The Two Widows

The Two Widows
Bedřich Smetana
Portrait of a fairly young man in spectacles, with beard, moustache and longish hair, wearing a dress shirt with a large floppy bow tie
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The Two Widows (Czech: Dvĕ vdovy) is a two-act Czech opera by Bedřich Smetana based on the libretto of Emanuel Züngel. The libretto is based on Jean Pierre Felicien Mallefille's one-act play "Les deux veuves." The opera was composed between June 1873 and January 1874, with its first première on March 27th, 1874 at the Prague Czech Theatre under the direction of Smetana. However, this premiere was not successful and the opera was rewritten in 1874. The dialogues were replaced by recitative and some of the music and characters were reworked. The second premiere on October 20th, 1874 was very successful. Kurt Honolka provided a German version in 1958.

Contents

Roles

Role Voice type Premiere cast,
March 27, 1874
(Conductor: - )
Caroline, a young widow soprano
Agnes, her sister, also a young widow soprano
Ladislaus, a landowner tenor
Mumlal bass
Tomík, a gardener tenor
Lidka, his fiancée, a chamber girl soprano
Peasants, choir

Synopsis

Place: A castle in Bohemia (Czech Republic).

Act 1

At the castle, the people are celebrating. The two widows, Caroline and Agnes, who live there are very different. The landlady, Caroline, is happy about her liberty and independence, while Agnes cannot make friends since she is still in mourning. Caroline is pressed by her suitor, Ladislaus. However, she does not want to marry him. So Caroline conspires to have Agnes fall in love with Ladislaus. Caroline invites Ladislaus to the castle, where he is arrested by Mumlal. Ladislaus is condemned to one day house arrest in the castle. Ladislaus accepts the punishment. However, Agnes cannot be made interested in him. At the end of the act, Lidka and Tomík with the choir sing about love.

Act 2

While in prison, Ladislaus sings a love song, which awakens in Agnes the feeling of love. However, Agnes cannot confess to her feelings. Even Caroline's scheme and Ladislaus's confession does not change her feelings. Only as Caroline begins to flirt with Ladislaus, that Agnes admits her feelings to Ladislaus. The envious Mumlal cannot divert Lidka and Tomík from making love to each other. At the ball, both of them get married.

Recordings

  • 1956, Jaroslav Krombholc (conductor), Prague National Theatre Orchestra and Chorus; Drahomíra Tikalová, Ivo Žídek, Maria Tauberová, Miloslava Fidlerová, Antonín Zlesák, Eduard Haken
  • 1974, Jaroslav Krombholc (conductor), Symphony Orchestra and Chorus of the Prague Radio; Jana Jonášová, Marcela Machotková, Miroslav Švejda, Dalibor Jedlička, Alfred Hampel, Daniela Šounová-Brouková [1]
  • 1975, František Jílek (conductor), Prague National Theatre Chorus and Orchestra; Naďa Šormová, Marcela Machotková, Jiří Zahradníček, Jaroslav Horáček, Zdeněk Švehla, Daniela Šounová

References

  1. ^ Roseberry, Eric, Review of The Two Widows (June 1993). The Musical Times, 134 (1804): p. 348.

Sources

  • Viking Opera Guide ed. Holden (Viking, 1993)

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