''Schwanda the Bagpiper'' ( cs, Švanda dudák), written in 1926, is an

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

in two acts (five scenes), with music by

Jaromír Weinberger Jaromír Weinberger (8 January 1896 – August 8, 1967) was a Bohemian born Jewish subject of the Austrian Empire, who became a naturalized American composer. Biography Weinberger was born in Prague, Austria-Hungary, into a family of Jewish or ...

to a Czech libretto by Miloš Kareš, based on the drama ''Strakonický dudák aneb Hody divých žen'' (''The Bagpiper of Strakonice'') by

Josef Kajetán Tyl Josef Kajetán Tyl (4 February 180811 July 1856; ) was a significant Czech dramatist, writer, and actor. He was a notable figure in the Czech National Revival movement and is best known as the author of the current national anthem of the Czech Re ...

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 Max Brod ( he, מקס ברוד; 27 May 1884 – 20 December 1968) was a German-speaking Bohemian, later Israeli, author, composer, and journalist. Although he was a prolific writer in his own right, he is best remembered as the friend and biog ...

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 Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the are ...

, 5 October 1929 (in Slovenian translation) * Riga, 6 December 1930 (in Latvian translation) *

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and h ...

, 6 November 1931 (in Bulgarian translation) *

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is oper ...

, New York City, 7 November 1931 (the American premiere, conducted by

Artur Bodanzky Artur Bodanzky (also written as Artur Bodzansky) (16 December 1877 – 23 November 1939) was an Austrian-American conductor particularly associated with the operas of Wagner. He conducted Enrico Caruso's last performance at the Metropolitan Oper ...

, with Friedrich Schorr in the title role) * Covent Garden, London, 11 May 1934 At the time the opera, with its occasional use of

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places * 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 Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

regimes of Austria and Germany during the late 1930s; and although it is still revived occasionally, orchestral performances of the " Polka and Fugue" 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

bagpipe Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, ...

s, 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. 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 A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of ...

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, Betina Bruckner, Karl Friedrich, Christa Ludwig, 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 Winfried Zillig (1 April 1905 – 18 December 1963) was a German composer, music theorist, and conductor. Zillig was born in Würzburg. After leaving school, Zillig studied law and music. One of his teachers there was Hermann Zilcher. In Vienna ...

, conductor ; recorded at Frankfurt, 1948 ; Walhall Eternity Series, 2 CDs ADD WLCD 0377, remastered edition 2013 * ''Schwanda, der Dudelsackpfeifer'' (sung in German);

Hermann Prey Hermann Prey ( Berlin, 11 July 1929 – Krailling, 22 July 1998) was a German lyric baritone, who was equally at home in the Lied, operatic and concert repertoires. His American debut was in November 1952, with the Philadelphia Orchestra an ...

Lucia Popp Lucia Popp (born Lucia Poppová; 12 November 193916 November 1993) was a Slovak operatic soprano. She began her career as a soubrette, and later moved into the light-lyric and lyric coloratura soprano repertoire and then the lighter Richard Str ...

Siegfried Jerusalem Siegfried Jerusalem (born 17 April 1940) is a German operatic tenor. Closely identified with the heldentenor roles of Richard Wagner, he has performed Siegfried, Siegmund, Lohengrin, Parsifal, and Tristan to wide acclaim. Since the 1990s, he has ...

, Gwendolyn Killebrew, Alexander Malta,

Siegmund Nimsgern Siegmund Nimsgern (born 14 January 1940) is a German bass-baritone, born in Sankt Wendel, Saarland, Germany. After leaving school in 1960 he studied singing and musical education at the Hochschule für Musik Saar with Sibylle Fuchs, Jakob St� ...

, 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 Heinz Wallberg (16 March 192329 September 2004) was a German conductor. Wallberg was born in Herringen, Westphalia. He studied trumpet, violin and piano. He helped to support his family with his musical training after his father became unabl ...

, 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 Wexford Festival Opera () is an opera festival that takes place in the town of Wexford in south-eastern Ireland during the months of October and November. The festival began in 1951 under Tom Walsh and a group of opera lovers who quickly gener ...

Opera Chorus; National Philharmonic Orchestra of Belarus; Julian Reynolds, conductor (2003); Naxos 8.660146-7 Polka and Fugue * ''Polka and Fugue'',

Chicago Symphony Orchestra The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) was founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891. The ensemble makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival. The music director is Riccardo Muti, who began his tenu ...

;

Fritz Reiner Frederick Martin "Fritz" Reiner (December 19, 1888 – November 15, 1963) was a prominent conductor of opera and symphonic music in the twentieth century. Hungarian born and trained, he emigrated to the United States in 1922, where he rose to ...

, conductor; RCA Living Stereo 82876-663762 (SACD) * ''Polka and Fugue'',

Pro Arte Orchestra The Pro Arte Orchestra was a British symphony orchestra founded in 1955.Potts, Joseph E.“Orchestral Profile – The Pro Arte Orchestra” '' The Gramophone'', October 1959, p. 163 (p. 33 in online version) Background The Pro Arte Orchestra was fo ...

;

Sir Charles Mackerras Mackerras in 2005 Sir Alan Charles MacLaurin Mackerras (; 1925 2010) was an Australian conductor. He was an authority on the operas of Janáček and Mozart, and the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan. He was long associated with the Engli ...

, conductor; EMI Encore 5099923572027 * ''Polka and Fugue'', Dallas Wind Symphony; Frederick Fennell, conductor; Reference Recordings B00000159M * ''Polka'', Philharmonia Orchestra;

Herbert von Karajan Herbert von Karajan (; born Heribert Ritter von Karajan; 5 April 1908 – 16 July 1989) was an Austrian conductor. He was principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic for 34 years. During the Nazi era, he debuted at the Salzburg Festival, wit ...

, conductor; EMI The Karajan Collection 0724347690020

References

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