The most beautiful world-famous arias will emerge from the darkness of the theatre onto the stage in the white surroundings of the courtyard of Špilberk castle. A program of Italian and Czech operas will be staged in Brno’s leading historic and cultural venue with its great atmosphere and pin-sharp acoustics. Photo credit: NdB.
Brno, Jun 18 (BD) – Špilberk’s main courtyard can seat nearly 800 spectators and offers a perfect musical experience. “The acoustics in the main courtyard are excellent. We play live – we don’t even need to use any amplification,” explained Jana Žáková of the National Theater Brno. For the fourth year running, the castle will turn into an open-air opera venue for the summer.
The turn of June and July will see a program of Italian classics and Czech operettas. Verdi’s La Traviata rightly stands among the all-time most popular operas. After all, his own life experience of a long illegitimate relationship with his beloved woman inspired the great Italian opera master to portray the story of great love and self-sacrifice. The first show of the open-air series has long been sold out, but tickets are still available for the reprise in September. The outstanding Slovak soprano Marie Fajtová (Violetta), Tomáš Juhás (Alfredo) and Svatopluk Sem (Germont) will star as the main characters.
Summer is supposed to be fun, and one of the most popular Czech operettas, Oskar Nedbal’s humorous Polish Blood, will entertain the Špilberk audience. Polish blood features popular hits such as Blondýnky něžné (Sweet blondes), Jsem jeden z diplomatů (Diplomat) and Slyšte jen, jak ten valčík zní (Hear only how this waltz sounds).
Andrea Široká as Helena Zarembová will help to calm the extravagant Bola (Ondřej Koplík) with the help of her father and diplomat Zaremba (Jan Šťava). Polish Blood will be staged in Czech.
On July 6, with Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca, the castle courtyard will turn into Rome, the romantic setting for this dramatic opera. The main characters are played by Maida Hundeling (Tosca), Luciano Mastro (Cavaradossi), and Jiří Sulženko (Scarpia).
Portraying a story of conflict between two different worlds, Georges Bizet’s majestic Carmen will take the stage on August 27. Although Bizet never went to Spain, he masterfully captured not only the dramatic relationship between the main characters, but also the typical Spanish energetic atmosphere.
Rossini’s cunning barber Figaro is always ready to help, especially when it comes to love and fooling the nasty old Dr. Bartol. The romantic comedy Barber of Seville by Gioachino Rossini is returning to the repertoire with a partly new cast of Roman Hoza (Figaro), Ondřej Koplík (Almaviva), Andrea Široká (Rosina), Jiří Sulženko (Dr. Bartolo), and David Nykl (Don Basilio).
The last day of August will once again see the humour of Nedbal’s Polish blood.
The summer season at Špilberk will close with the famous works of Giuseppe Verdi: Nabucco, the opera piece about the journey of the Jewish people to freedom, with Luis Cansino, A. L. Bogza, and Jiří Sulženko in the lead roles, and La traviata, with Jana Šrejma Kačírková (Violetta), Peter Berger (Alfredo), and Svatopluk Sem (Germont).
The schedule for the evening operas at Špilberk Castle is as follows:
- June 30, at 8:00 PM: Giuseppe Verdi: La traviata
- July 6, at 8:00 PM: Giacomo Puccini: Tosca
- August 27, at 7:00 PM: Georges Bizet: Carmen
- August 29, at 7:00 PM: Gioachino Rossini: The Barber of Seville
- September 1, at 7:00 PM: Giuseppe Verdi: Nabucco
- September 3, at 7:00 PM: Giuseppe Verdi: La traviata
Tickets can be purchased online on the official website, or at the National Theatre’s ticket office at Dvořákova 11. The evening ticket offices on site will open before each show.
Brno Daily is a proud media partner of the National Theater Brno.
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