Four programmes in which
Roderic Dunnett explores operatic byways of Eastern Europe.
3: The Comic Touch
Light-hearted comic operas were a speciality of Czech composers, not least Smetana and Dvorak. Prague audiences still flock to hear them today, though some of the more popular comedies are only just beginning to filter through over here. Devils and charlatans, misery-gutses and self-deluding buffoons all crop up in this week's programme, spiced with an almost Mozartian charm, wit and panache. Including excerpts from Smetana's The Bartered Bride,
Blodek's In the Well, and Dvorak's The Cunning Peasant.