Bohuslav Martinů - The Soldier and the Dancer

The first opera by Bohuslav Martinů (from the total of 16) named Voják a tanečnice (The Soldier and the Dancer), H. 162 was created in the initial years of Martinů's stay in Paris (1926-1927), when the effort to reflect different contemporary music trends and influences can be traced in his compositions. Voják a tanečnice is an original example of absorbing such influences on the background of the three-act comic opera. Together with the librettist, Jan Löwenbach, they tried to create a "new opera buffa", which was however not understood by the contemporary reviewers. The opera was first performed in Brno in 1928. The frequency of the first performances of Martinů's stage works in the National Theatre in Brno indicates that the first performance of his first opera was not a coincidence but a part of targeted dramaturgy at the Brno stage. The opera follows both the tradition of an opera and tendencies in art of the 1920's, e. g. playing with humour in music, the epic theatre inspirations or using ancient theme. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org