Hubička
Bedřich Smetana - 05.03 > 13.03 2027
The Story
On the day of their engagement, Vendulka refuses to kiss Lukaš, out of respect for his deceased wife. Annoyed, he deliberately comes to taunt his fiancée under her own windows, on the arm of the village girls. Hurt in turn, she packs her bags while Lukaš belatedly and bitterly understands his mistake.
Libretto
Eliška Krásnohorská — based on a short story by Karolina Světlá
Far from epic dramas and bloody revenge, The Kiss depicts the torments of everyday life. Perhaps it is this apparent simplicity that ultimately seduced Bedřich Smetana. Eliška Krásnohorská first proposed the subject to him in 1872. But Smetana was already absorbed in his work on Dvě vdovy (The Two Widows) and Viola. The author does not give up, however. She submits the final libretto to him in November 1875.
Smitten, Smetana sets to work on the composition, despite the deafness that now affects him. No matter the constant tinnitus, the composer signs a major work of the Czech lyrical repertoire. The score offers its most beautiful pages to Slavic melodies, including the duet of the first act between the two fiancés.
