''Schwanda the Bagpiper'' ( cs, Švanda dudák), written in 1926, is an opera in two acts (five scenes), with music by Jaromír Weinberger to a Czech

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

by Miloš Kareš, based on the drama ''Strakonický dudák aneb Hody divých žen'' (''The Bagpiper of

Strakonice Strakonice (; german: Strakonitz) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 22,000 inhabitants. Administrative parts Strakonice is made up of town parts of Strakonice I and Strakonice II, and villages of Dražejov, ...

'') by Josef Kajetán Tyl.

Performance history

Its first performance was in Prague at the Czech National Opera on 27 April 1927; and the first German production followed (in the translation by Max Brod as ''Schwanda der Dudelsackpfeifer''), at Breslau on 16 December 1928. After that success, German-language productions proliferated around the world, with over 2000 performances taking place during the next decade.Kushner, David Z., "Jaromir Weinberger (1896–1967): From Bohemia to America" (Autumn 1988). ''American Music'', 6 (3): pp. 293–313. Aside from those in Germany and Austria, these included: * Ljubljana, 5 October 1929 (in Slovenian translation) *

Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...

, 6 December 1930 (in Latvian translation) * Sofia, 6 November 1931 (in Bulgarian translation) * Metropolitan Opera, New York City, 7 November 1931 (the American premiere, conducted by Artur Bodanzky, with

Friedrich Schorr Friedrich Schorr (September 2, 1888 – August 14, 1953), was a renowned Austrian- Hungarian bass-baritone opera singer of Jewish origin. He later became a naturalized American. Schorr was particularly famous for his profound portrayals o ...

in the title role) *

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...

, London, 11 May 1934 At the time the opera, with its occasional use of Czech folk material, enjoyed considerable success, with translations into 17 languages. The opera fell from the repertory when the composer's music was banned by the Nazi regimes of Austria and Germany during the late 1930s; and although it is still revived occasionally, orchestral performances of the "

Polka Polka is a dance and genre of dance music originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though associated with Czech culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the Americas. History Etymology The term ...

and

Fugue In music, a fugue () is a contrapuntal compositional technique in two or more voices, built on a subject (a musical theme) that is introduced at the beginning in imitation (repetition at different pitches) and which recurs frequently in the c ...

" drawn from the opera are more regularly heard in concert and on record.

Roles

Synopsis

It has been a week since Švanda and Dorotka married. The robber Babinský takes refuge in their farmhouse, and immediately falls for Dorotka. Babinský quickly convinces Švanda of the tedium of married life, and persuades him to go off on an adventure. They arrive at the Queen's court, where she is under the power of a wicked Magician. The Queen had made a deal with the Magician where she consented to the death of the Prince, her betrothed, in exchange for a heart of ice (and thus no human feeling) and a diamond scepter, symbolic of her power. Švanda plays his bagpipes, which breaks the spell. The Queen then offers herself to Švanda in marriage. Švanda accepts, kissing her, but then Dorotka appears, which angers the Queen. The Queen, her heart now again of ice, has Švanda and Dorotka imprisoned and Švanda condemned to death. Babinský helps save Švanda by replacing the executioner's axe with a broom. Švanda plays his bagpipes again, enchanting the crowd gathered for the execution, and escapes with Dorotka. Dorotka herself is now angry at Švanda and questions his fidelity. Švanda retorts that if he ever kissed the Queen, may he go to

Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell ...

. Forgetting that he did kiss the Queen, Švanda immediately drops through the earth into Hell. Babinský then tells Dorotka that he loves her, but she makes him promise to rescue Švanda. In Hell, the Devil asks Švanda to play for him, since he has nothing to do, because no one will play cards with the Devil because he always cheats. Švanda at first refuses, but then Babinský appears and challenges the Devil to a card game. By cheating even more than the Devil, Babinský wins the game and rescues Švanda. (It is at this point that Švanda plays the music that forms the famous ''Fugue''.) At the end, Švanda and Dorotka are reconciled, and Babinský sorrowfully leaves, in search of new adventures.

Recordings

Complete opera * ''Schwanda, der Dudelsackpfeifer'' (sung in German);

Karl Schmitt-Walter Karl Schmitt-Walter (23 December 1900 – 14 January 1985) was a prominent German opera singer, particularly associated with Mozart and the more lyrical Wagner baritone roles. Life and career Schmitt-Walter was born in Germersheim. He studied a ...

, Betina Bruckner, Karl Friedrich,

Christa Ludwig Christa Ludwig (16 March 1928 – 24 April 2021) was a German mezzo-soprano and occasional dramatic soprano, distinguished for her performances of opera, lieder, oratorio, and other major religious works like masses, passions, and solos in symp ...

, Josef Lindlar, Eugen Willmann, Oskar Witasscheck, Wolf Heide, Willy Hofmann, Hans Kasperzyk, Herbert Hess, August Heimpel ; Choir and Symphony Orchestra of the Hessian Radio ; Winfried Zillig, conductor ; recorded at Frankfurt, 1948 ; Walhall Eternity Series, 2 CDs ADD WLCD 0377, remastered edition 2013 * ''Schwanda, der Dudelsackpfeifer'' (sung in German); Hermann Prey, Lucia Popp, Siegfried Jerusalem,

Gwendolyn Killebrew Gwendolyn Killebrew (August 26, 1941 – December 24, 2021) was an American operatic contralto and mezzo-soprano who worked in Germany and internationally, including the Metropolitan Opera and the Bayreuth Festival. She performed in the 1971 wor ...

Alexander Malta Alexander Malta (28 September 1938 as Alexander Lagger – 23 August 2016) was a Swiss operatic bass-baritone. Life Born in St. Gallen, after the Matura at the , he studied in Zürich and Italy and made his debut in 1966 in Stuttgart as Monk i ...

, Siegmund Nimsgern, Karl Kreile, Albert Gassner, Heinrich Weber, Georg Baumgartner, Anton Rosner,

Peter Lika Peter Lika (born 1947) is a German bass in opera and concert, focused on both oratorio singing as on historically informed performances. Life Lika was born in Augsburg in 1947. He began his singing career as a boy soloist with the Regensburger ...

; Bavarian Radio Chorus; Munich Radio Orchestra; Heinz Wallberg, conductor (1981); CBS M2K79344 * ''Švanda dudák'' (sung in Czech); Matjaz Robavs, Tatiana Monogarova, Ivan Choupenitch, Larisa Kostyuk, Alexander Teliga, Nicholas Sharratt, Pavel Kozel, Alexander Teliga, Sean Ruane, Pavel Kozel, Vicenç Esteve, Richard Weigold; Wexford Festival Opera Chorus; National Philharmonic Orchestra of Belarus; Julian Reynolds, conductor (2003); Naxos 8.660146-7 Polka and Fugue * ''Polka and Fugue'', Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Fritz Reiner, conductor; RCA Living Stereo 82876-663762 (SACD) * ''Polka and Fugue'', Pro Arte Orchestra; Sir Charles Mackerras, conductor; EMI Encore 5099923572027 * ''Polka and Fugue'',

Dallas Wind Symphony The Dallas Winds (also known as the Dallas Wind Symphony or DWS) is a professional concert band based in Dallas, Texas. The Dallas Winds was founded in 1985 by Kim Campbell and Southern Methodist University music professor Howard Dunn. It was or ...

;

Frederick Fennell Frederick Fennell (July 2, 1914 – December 7, 2004) was an internationally recognized conductor and one of the primary figures in promoting the Eastman Wind Ensemble as a performing group. He was also influential as a band pedagogue, and grea ...

, conductor; Reference Recordings B00000159M * ''Polka'',

Philharmonia Orchestra The Philharmonia Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It was founded in 1945 by Walter Legge, a classical music record producer for EMI. Among the conductors who worked with the orchestra in its early years were Richard Strauss, W ...

; Herbert von Karajan, conductor; EMI The Karajan Collection 0724347690020

References

{{Authority control Operas by Jaromír Weinberger Czech-language operas 1927 operas Operas Operas based on plays