Schwanda the Bagpiper

Švanda the Bagpiper (; also known with the German spelling as Schwanda the Bagpiper), written in 1926, is an opera in two acts (five scenes), with music by Jaromír Weinberger to a Czech libretto by Miloš Kareš, based on the story Strakonický dudák aneb Hody divých žen (The Bagpiper of Strakonice) by Josef Kajetán Tyl. Its first performance was in Prague at the Czech National Opera on 27 April 1927. It premiered in German, with the translation by Max Brod, at Breslau on 16 December 1928. Other productions quickly followed:Kushner, David Z., "Jaromir Weinberger (1896-1967): From Bohemia to America" (Autumn 1988). American Music, 6 (3): pp. 293-313.

• Ljubljana, 5 October 1929 (in Slovenian translation)
• Riga, 6 December 1930 (in Latvian translation)
• Sofia, 6 November 1931 (in Bulgarian translation)
• Metropolitan Opera, New York City, 7 November 1931

At the time, the opera, with its use of Czech folk material, enjoyed considerable success, with translations into 17 languages. Since that time, the opera has fallen from the repertory, although in orchestral performances and recordings, the "Polka and Fugue" now together form a concert work that is heard more often than the opera itself.

Roles

Synopsis

It has been a week since Švanda and Dorota married. The robber Babinský takes refuge in their farmhouse, and immediately falls for Dorota. Babinský quickly convinces...
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