Organization

Komische Oper Festival

Singer

Mezzo-soprano

Ursula Hesse von den Steinen

Královna

Tenor

Johannes Dunz

Sudí

Baritone

Ivan Turšić

Pekelný hejtman

Bass

Philipp Meierhöfer

Čert

Timothy Oliver

Čertův famulus

Conductor

Ainars Rubikis

Stage director

Andreas Homoki

Choreographer

Otto Pichler

Set designer

Paul Zoller

Costume designer

Klaus Bruns

Dramaturge

Simon Berger

Chorus master

David Cavelius

Lighting designer

Franck Evin

Soprano

Kiandra Howarth

Dorotka

Daniel Schmutzhard

Švanda

Tilmann Unger

Babinský

Jens Larsen

Magician

Others

Chor der Komischen Oper Berlin

Orchestra

Orchester der Komischen Oper Berlin

German

Svanda Dudák -  (Svanda the Bagpiper)

Berlin

Germany

Komische Oper

Svanda Dudák Weinberger

Public

Svanda the Bagpiper

Approved

Once king's throne, then hell and back, please! – Jaromír Weinberger achieved a sensational success with his Schwanda, the Bagpiper, premiered in Prague in 1927, which was performed thousands of times in Europe and the USA until 1933. After the musical world success My Fair Lady, Andreas Homoki is now staging the late romantic music theatre comedy about this bagpiper. Baritone Daniel Schmutzhard as the Bohemian mood cannon and – as the eternally beloved Dorotka – Kiandra Howarth. Together with General Music Director Ainārs Rubiķis, they conquer hearts, the world and – the underworld!

Just in time for dinner, he stands on the farm: Babinský – shrub thief, folk hero, legend – and takes the young Schwanda with his bagpipes with him. It attracts an adventure, the big world! With a good mood and his instrument, the young man warms a queen's heart made of ice, wins a people, gets into jealousy processes and even into hell antics. But hell is above all one thing: boring to die! With Babinský's help, wit and sleight of hand, Schwanda saves his soul and returns to the love of his life in the end.

With Schwanda, Jaromír Weinberger created a work that was as comical as it was touching, which was one of the most frequently performed operas between 1927 and 1933. This declaration of love to Bohemia, created from fabrics and figures of the homeland, has its musical roots in folk songs and dances of the region and bears flowers both in the style of the operas of his compatriot Bedřich Smetana – above all The Bartered Bride – as well as the late Romantic orchestral sounds à la Franz Schreker or Richard Strauss. Paradoxically, only one instrument does not know this score: a bagpipe!

English

Svanda the Bagpiper by Weinberger, From (2022/2022), Directed by Andreas Homoki,, Conductor Ainars Rubikis, Komische Oper, Berlin, Germany

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Cast

Crew

Ensemble

Programme, About & Synopsis

Photos

Further reading

Performance Dates & Venues

Venues