''Šárka'', opus 51, 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 libre ...

in three acts by

Zdeněk Fibich Zdeněk Fibich (, 21 December 1850 in Všebořice – 15 October 1900 in Prague) was a Czech composer of classical music. Among his compositions are chamber works (including two string quartets, a piano trio, piano quartet and a quintet for p ...

to a Czech libretto by Anežka Schulzová, his student and lover. Fibich composed the full score over the period of 8 September 1896 to 10 March 1897. At the time, Czech audiences regarded Fibich with suspicion as being overly influenced by the music of

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

, and Fibich had selected the legend of Šárka for this operatic subject to try to counter such sentiments. Even so, the opera still contains use of Wagner's idea of ''

leitmotif A leitmotif or leitmotiv () is a "short, recurring musical phrase" associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical concepts of ''idée fixe'' or ''motto-theme''. The spelling ''leitmotif'' is an anglic ...

''.Smaczny, Jan, "The Operas and Melodramas of Zdenĕk Fibich (1850–1900)" (1982–1983). ''Proceedings of the Royal Musical Association'', 109: pp. 119–133. The subject matter, the Bohemian legend of Šárka, which appears in 14th-century Czech literature, is related to that of Smetana's tone poem ''

Má vlast ''Má vlast'' (), also known as ''My Fatherland'', is a set of six symphonic poems composed between 1874 and 1879 by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana Bedřich Smetana ( , ; 2 March 1824 – 12 May 1884) was a Czech composer who pioneered ...

'' and the opera of the same name by Janáček. Schulzová used as her primary literary source an 1880 version of the story by J. Vrchlický.

Performance history

The opera received its first performance at the Prague National Theatre on 28 December 1897. ''Šárka'' is Fibich's most popular opera and is regularly revived in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. Th ...

. There are two archive radio recordings (1950, 1970) and three commercial recordings: * Marie Podvalová (Šárka),

Lubomír Havlák Lubomír Havlák (27 December 1921 – 28 September 2014) was a Czech dramatic tenor born at Fryčovice near Ostrava, former Czechoslovakia. His professional career started at the theatre in Ostrava (Hunter in ''Rusalka''), followed by perf ...

(tenor Ctirad), :cs:Václav Bednář (Prince Premysl),

Marta Krásová Marta Krásová (16 March 1901 – 20 February 1970) was a Czech operatic mezzo-soprano who had an active international career with major opera houses in Europe from 1922 until 1966. Born in Protivín, she died in Vráž, in the Beroun Distri ...

(Vlasta), Milada Šubrtová (Libyna),

Miloslava Fidlerová Miloslav is a Slavic masculine given name, derived from the Slavic root ''mil-'', "merciful" or "dear", and ''-slav'' ''glory''. Name variants * feminine form: Miloslava * diminutive form: Miloš * Polish: Miłosław/Miłosława * Czech femi ...

(Svatava),

Jaroslava Vymazalová Jaroslava may refer to: *Jaroslava Bajerová (1910–1995), Czech gymnast *Jaroslava Brychtová (born 1924), Czech glass artist and sculptor *Jaroslava Bukvajová (born 1975), Slovak cross country skier * Jaroslava Krčálová, Czechoslovak slalom ...

(Mlada),

Ludmila Hanzalíková Ludmila, Ludmilla, or Lyudmila (Cyrillic: Людмила, ''Lyudmila'') may refer to: People * Ludmila (given name) a Slavic female given name (including a list of people with the name) * Ludmila da Silva (born 1994), Brazilian footballer, com ...

(Radka),

Marie Zalabáková Marie may refer to: People Name * Marie (given name) * Marie (Japanese given name) * Marie (murder victim), girl who was killed in Florida after being pushed in front of a moving vehicle in 1973 * Marie (died 1759), an enslaved Cree person in T ...

(Hosta),

Jaroslava Dobrá Jaroslava may refer to: *Jaroslava Bajerová (1910–1995), Czech gymnast *Jaroslava Brychtová (born 1924), Czech glass artist and sculptor *Jaroslava Bukvajová (born 1975), Slovak cross country skier * Jaroslava Krčálová, Czechoslovak slalom ...

(Castava) &

Jaroslav Veverka Jaroslav (also written as Yaroslav or Jarosław in other Slavic languages) is a Czech and Slovak first name, pagan in origin. There are several possible origins of the name Jaroslav. It is very likely that originally the two elements of the name ...

(Vitoraz). Prague National Theatre Chorus and Orchestra, conducted by Zdeněk Chalabala.

Supraphon Supraphon Music Publishing is a Czech record label, oriented mainly towards publishing classical music and popular music, with an emphasis on Czech and Slovak composers. History The Supraphon name was first registered as a trademark in 1932. ...

1953 *

Eva Děpoltová Eva Děpoltová (5 August 1945 — 16 July 2017) was a Czech operatic soprano. She recorded the title role in Šárka (Fibich) opposite tenor :cs:Vilém Přibyl as Ctirad in conductor Jan Štych's Supraphon recording of 1978. Her other regular ...

(Šárka), Vilém Přibyl (Ctirad),

Václav Zítek Václav Zítek (24 March 1932 – 18 December 2011) was a Czech opera singer. A lyric baritone with a beautiful timbre and a wide vocal range, he was one of the leading Czech singers of the postwar generation. He particularly excelled in portraying ...

(baritone, Prince Premysl), Jaroslavá Janska (soprano, Libina), Bozena Effenberkova (soprano, Svatava),

Jitka Pavlová Jitka is a Czech female given name. It is nickname of Hebrew name Judith, meaning ''He will be praised'' or ''woman of Judea''. The old Czech form is Jutka, derived the German name Jutta. Name day celebrate 5 December. Pronounced "YIT-kah". Famou ...

(soprano, Mlada),

Anna Barová Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century) * Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 1221) ...

, (mezzo, Radka), Véra Bakalová (alto, Hosta), Daniela Suryova (alto, Castava), Eva Randová (mezzo-soprano, Vlasta), :cs:Josef Klán (bass, Vitoraz). Brno State Philharmonic Orchestra, Brno Janáček Opera Chorus Conductor

Jan Štych Jan Štych (born 27 December 1935 in Trutnov Trutnov (; german: Trautenau) is a town in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 29,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban ...

. Supraphon 1978 * Eva Urbanová (Šárka), Janez Lotrič (tenor, Ctirad),

Dalibor Jenis Dalibor may refer to: * Dalibor (name), Slavic surname and masculine given name * ''Dalibor'' (film), a 1956 Czech film * ''Dalibor'' (opera), 1868 opera by Bedřich Smetana, based on the life of Dalibor z Kozojed, the 15th century Czech knight ...

(Prince Premysl),

Ida Kirilová Ida or IDA may refer to: Astronomy *Ida Facula, a mountain on Amalthea, a moon of Jupiter *243 Ida, an asteroid * International Docking Adapter, a docking adapter for the International Space Station Computing * Intel Dynamic Acceleration, a tech ...

(Vlasta), Simona Šaturová (Libyna), :sk:Adriana Kohútková (Svatava),

Klaudia Dernerová Klaudia Dernerová (born 21 June 1971) is a Slovak opera soprano and Alfréd Radok Award winner. She received the Alfréd Radok Award for Best Actress in 2000 for her portrayal of the title role in a Czech production of the Dmitri Shostakovich ...

Mlada; (mezzo) Hana Minutillo Radka;

Marta Beňačková Marta Beňačková (born 29 August 1953, in Bratislava) is a Slovak mezzo-soprano who has had an active performing career since the 1970s in concerts, operas, and recitals. Biography Beňačková attended the Bratislava Conservatory where she ea ...

(Hosta), Adriana Hlasová (Castava) &

Vladimir Kubovcik Vladimir may refer to: Names * Vladimir (name) for the Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Macedonian, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak and Slovenian spellings of a Slavic name * Uladzimir for the Belarusian version of the name * Volodymyr for the Ukr ...

(Vitoraz). Vienna Concert Choir; Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted

Sylvain Cambreling Sylvain Cambreling (born 2 July 1948 in Amiens, France) is a French conductor. Biography Trained as a trombone player, Cambreling studied at the Paris Conservatoire. He joined l' Orchestre Symphonique de Lyon (OSL) as a trombonist in 1971. In 197 ...

. Orfeo 2001 LiveThe Gramophone 2001 Fibich Sarka Dalibor Jenis bar Prince Pfemysl; Janez Lotric ten Ctirad; Vladimir Kubovcik bass Vitoraz; Ida Kirilova mez Vlasta; Eva Urbanova sop Sarka; Simona Saturova sop Libyna; Adriana Kohutkova sop Svatava; Klaudia Dernerova sop... 2 C5410O2H (133 minutes: DDO) Notes, text and translation included. ... Sylvain Cambreling conducts a strong and purposeful performance, recorded live in good, well-balanced radio sound - complete with applause at the ends of acts. It may not always be as idiomatic as the Czech version on Supraphon, but the impact is just as great.

Roles

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sarka Czech-language operas Operas by Zdeněk Fibich 1897 operas Operas