On March 31, the New Stage of the National Theatre in Prague introduced the long-awaited premiere of No Man, opera by composer Jiří Kadeřábek (*1978). It was watched by a sold-out stage where the spectators were seated; the auditorium, this time, was the place of action.
The tragic life story of sculptor Otakar Švec who, against his own will, became the author of the monumental Stalin memorial at Letná, was made into libretto by the dramaturge Lukáš Jiříčka and the production’s director Katharina Schmitt. The solo parts of the piece, the author of which is still unsure whether we might in fact call it an opera or not, are sung by Eliška Gattringerová, Sylva Čmugrová, Jan Mikušek, Jakub Tolaš and Josef Škvarka. The music also makes use of a chamber choir, reproduced children’s choir and orchestra (joined by the Prague Modern ensemble) while Kadeřábek himself is conducting. There will be four more performances of No Man in this opera season.
31 March 2017, New Stage, National Theatre, Prague
Jiří Kadeřábek: No Man (world premiere)
following performances: Apr 3 and 17, May 1 and 7 2017
Libretto: Lukáš Jiřička, Katharina Schmitt
Music director: Jiří Kadeřábek
Directed by: Katharina Schmitt