| Dalibor | |
|---|---|
| Opera by Bedřich Smetana | |
&sq=Facebook&lang=en&file=File:Smetana1854portrait.jpg) Smetana in 1854; painting by Geskel Saloman | |
| Librettist | Josef Wenzig |
| Language | Czech |
| Premiere | 16 May 1868 Provisional Theatre, Prague |
Dalibor is a Czech opera in three acts by Bedřich Smetana. The libretto was written in German by Josef Wenzig, and translated into Czech by Ervín Špindler. It was first performed at the New Town Theatre in Prague on 16 May [citation needed][1] 1868. The opera received criticism at the time for being overly influenced by German opera, including that of Wagner's Lohengrin.[2]
The subject of the opera is Dalibor of Kozojedy (fl. c. 1490), a Czech knight who took part in an uprising in Ploskovice in support of the oppressed people and was sentenced to death in 1498, during the reign of Vladislaus II of Hungary. The plot bears a resemblance to that of Beethoven's Fidelio,[3] in that the central female characters in each opera disguise themselves in male clothing and gain the confidence of a jailor to try to save the imprisoned hero.
- ^ Or perhaps 15 May, as given in Novotný's edition.
- ^ Jellinek, George (1997). "Dalibor. Bedřich Smetana". The Opera Quarterly. 14 (1): 174–176. doi:10.1093/oq/14.1.174.
- ^ George Martin, Review of Czech Opera by John Tyrrell. The Opera Quarterly, 6(4), 80–84 (1989).