Bedřich Smetana - The Two Widows - Opera, A World, March 22nd, 2026

Bedřich Smetana - The Two Widows, featuring: Adriana Kučerová, Kateřina Kněžíková, Adam Plachetka, Pavol Breslik, Jana Sibera, Petr Nekoranec, the Chorus of the National Theatre in Prague (prepared by Pavel Vaněk), and the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, conductor Robert Jindra.

Premiere album, released on February 13th, 2026

I will momentarily step away from the thread of Baroque operas that have been dominating the discographic nouveautés, because on February 13, the Naxos label offered us a particularly pleasant surprise: the release of an album featuring The Two Widows by Bedřich Smetana, a recording made in 2023 in the studios of Prague Radio. Unjustly, this charming score has a rather limited discography, consisting exclusively of Czech ensembles, and as for stage productions-well, they are just as rare. A comic opera in two acts, composed by Bedřich Smetana to a libretto by Emanuel František Züngel, after the play Les Deux veuves by Jean Pierre Félicien Mallefille. The score, completed in 1874, was revised by the composer in 1877.

As usual, I listened to the recording, found it worthy of inclusion in the program, and thus we will be hearing this album as part of the "Discs of the Year 2026" project-of course, in its premiere broadcast on our frequencies.

For this production, several of the most valuable Czech and Slovak soloists of the new generation of lyric artists were brought together. Sopranos Adriana Kučerová and Kateřina Kněžíková perform the roles of Karolína and Anežka-two cousins, both widows. Kučerová is a light lyric soprano with beautifully rendered coloratura, her voice complementing that of Kateřina Kněžíková, whose timbre is warm and velvety. Tenor Pavol Breslik is Ladislav-the young landowner who becomes entangled in Karolína's plan to draw her cousin out of mourning; a beautiful lyric voice, perhaps with a touch too much heroic ardor in the upper register. Bass-baritone Adam Plachetka portrays Mumlal-the estate manager of the two women-a comic character role providing a counterbalance in moments of melodrama. Adding flavor and color-the "salt and pepper" of the work-are the characters Lidunka, Mumlal's daughter, and her beloved Toník, the highest voices in the score. Smetana entrusts them with passages infused with elements of Bohemian folklore. These roles are performed by soprano Jana Sibera and tenor Petr Nekoranec.

A delightful comic opera, it also showcases Smetana's skill in writing duets, particularly in the second act. These pages, along with the ensemble numbers, demand exceptionally clear and precise diction. The soloists are also given parlando passages, all delivered impeccably. In that same act, one can observe something further-in the music written for Anežka, Smetana tenderly illustrates the transition from grief-stricken mourning to an emotional openness toward new possibilities. Thus, this is not merely a comedy, but also a profound psychological study of the characters and the situations surrounding them.

The Chorus of the National Theatre in Prague (prepared by Pavel Vaněk) has brief but consistently brilliant appearances. The Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra proves excellent, and at the helm, conductor Robert Jindra shapes the performance with elegance, lyricism, energy, and comic flair, as required.