Nationale ‚Zukunftsmusik‘? Bedřich Smetanas Dalibor und die Debatte um eine tschechische Oper

The article deals with the political and cultural situation in the 1860s in Prague and Bedřich Smetana’s role after his return from Göteborg in 1861. Smetana was well aware that he had to act in accordance with the practical circumstances, which he described as “awful.” He worked quite pragmatically on the improvement of the musical quality in the Bohemian capital, but at the same time, he professed his deep interest in the “neudeutsche Schule” of Franz Liszt and Richard Wagner. The consequences of the practical orientation and the compositional ideal will be discussed at the example of Smetanas opera Dalibor