National Moravian-Silesian Theatre
Conductor: Robert Jindra Stage director: SKUTR (Martin Kukučka and Lukáš Trpišovský) Set design: JAKUB KOPECKÝ Costume design: SIMONA RYBÁKOVÁ Choreography: JAN KODET Choirmaster: JURIJ GALATENKO Dramaturgy: DANIEL JÄGER CAST: Matěj Brouček, a landlord: Arnold Bezuyen / Jorge Garza Mazal, a painter, Azurean, Pete: Tomáš Kořínek / Adam Zdunikowski Sacristan, Lunigrove, Domšík from the Bell: Martin Gurbal’ / František Zahradníček Málinka, his daughter, lunar goddess, Kunka: Agnieszka Bochenek-Osiecka / Jana Sibera Würfl, a bartender, Wonderglitter, councillor: Alexandr Beň / Peter Mazalán Young waiter at bar, Child prodigy, Student: Marianna Pillárová / Martina Šnytová Housekeeper / Kedruta: Yvona Škvárová / Erika Šporerová Composer, Harper, Miroslav, the goldsmith: Martin Šrejma / Michal Pavel Vojta Poet, Cloudy, Vacek the Bearded: Jiří Brückler / Aleš Jenis Painter, voice / Duhoslav / Vojta: Josef Moravec / Václav Morys Pegasus / Ghost: Jindřich Panský Soldier from Tabor I.: Jaroslav Kosec / Václav Živný Soldier from Tabor II.: Pavel Ďuríček / Petr Němec Svatopluk Čech: Ivan Kusnjer / Svatopluk Sem
National Moravian-Silesian Theatre Opera Choir and Orchestra – Concert Master Vladimír Liberda, members of ballet NDM a quests National Moravian-Silesian Theatre
Despite the fact that the opera bilogy The Excursions of Mr Brouček is Janáček’s largest-scale operatic work, it has, regrettably, not received much interest from opera houses. And this is unquestionably unfair. The composer decided to work on Čech’s satirical prose The True Excursion of Mr Brouček to the Moon in 1908, a year after the writer’s death. However, he was unlucky with his librettists, who were either unable or unwilling to adequately reshape the material into a libretto as Janáček had envisaged it. Not surprisingly, over the nine interminable years when he worked on the opera, a whole host of literary figures participated in the preparation of the libretto, abandoning the project sooner or later. Among them were well-known names such as Zikmund Janke, F. S. Procházka, Viktor Dyk, Jiří Mahen and even Max Brod. Janáček finally finished writing the work in 1917, but after preparing the piano score he realised that the opera was too short. The political situation as well as the social climate led him to start work on another instalment of Čech’s “Broučekiad”: The Excursion of Mr Brouček, This Time to the 15th Century. This time the work proceeded quickly and the second part was ready after only nine months. Janáček then made corrections to the first part of the bilogy and linked it to the second. The Excursions of Mr Brouček was the only one of Janáček’s operas to have its premiere at the National Theatre in Prague. The musical performance was conducted by its new head, Otakar Ostrčil, with Gustav Schmoranz directing. However, it received a lukewarm reception, perhaps in part because the stage depiction of the subject left something to be desired. The opera is very unusual though, particularly in terms of its music. Here Janáček experimented both with the musical structure and with the instrumentation. The score features a glass armonica, bagpipes and an organ, as well as Janáček’s favourite viola d´amore.
