Smetana: Dalibor
Soloists
Prague National Theatre chorus and orchestra
Jaroslav Krombholc
Dalibor is one of the central works in the Czech operatic repertoire, although initially it had little success - Mahler's conducting of the work in Vienna helped to establish its importance. It has been compared to Fidelio in that the plot concerns a political prisoner whose lover disguises herself as a man in order to work in the prison and help rescue him.
I thought that it was a very impressive piece. It is not as overtly melodramatic as the Kovařovic opera (the previous work in this project) but makes a strong impression throughout. Perhaps the high point is the big solo for Dalibor himself in the third act but the duet for the lovers is also intensely moving.
Last year I was impressed by Smetana's The Kiss https://andrew365newpieces.blogspot.com/2025/10/smetana-hubicka.html and said that I would like to explore more of the composer's operas. Listening to this opera today certainly increases my enthusiasm for Smetana as an opera composer - there's certainly more to go at.
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