THE JACOBIN Dvořák National Theatre Brno

We are from Bohemia and you ask if we can sing An unknown couple arrives in a small Czech village from abroad and most of the locals watch them with suspicion. Only the old teacher Benda, a lover of music, opens his door to them, only to find that the strangers are closer to them than one might think. It is music that has the leading role; that is one way to sum up Dvořáks opera The Jacobin, as it is music that changes the fate of all the characters in the opera. At the same time, Dvořák has created a charming picture of a Czech town from the Enlightenment era populated with the peculiar figures of the musicloving teacher Benda, his stubborn daughter Terinka who is in love with the young teacher Jiřík or the Counts conceited steward Filip. Perhaps it was fond recollection of the of his own youth learning music that brought so many charming, rich melodies, both exuberant and melancholic, into Dvořáks music, whether it be the famous school cantata scene, th