The date of 5 January 2020 will be recorded in the history of the Czech Republic as the date when the State Opera was reopened after a three-year reconstruction. Who failed to attend this evening may as well not exist. The tickets went like hot cakes. But there were also those who refused the invitation due to private travel plans, or those who, unfortunately, did not live to see the gala evening. Such as the nation's darling Karel Gott.
Even in his last song Srdce nehasnou (Hearts Can Never Be Extinguished), a duet with his daughter Charlotte, he expresses his love for music with the words "music is one of those beauties that send shivers down our spines". He, too, received an honorable invitation. But the invitations had been sent out in June. According to information from the National Theater, he enthusiastically confirmed his participation...
Vojtěch Dyk or Lucie Bílá refused the invitation due to travel plans. However, the others who'd ever had anything in common with the State Opera happily accepted. Among the lucky ones are Miroslav Donutil, Štefan Margita with Hana Zagorová, Helena Vondráčková, Pavel Šporcl or Andrea Kalivodová.
Dům na prodej 7kk - Praha 6, 232m2, Praha 6
Show property
Can't do without politicians
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also arrived in Prague for the ceremonial reopening of the State Opera on Sunday. Furthermore, the following ambassadors and diplomats represented their countries: USA, Germany, Austria, France, Poland, Hungary, Israel, Norway and the Slovak Republic. Among the visitors was prof. Monika Grütters, Secretary of State and Commissioner of Culture and Media. The Czech Republic was represented by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, Deputy Prime Minister Radek Vondráček, Minister of Culture, Minister of Finance, Minister of Industry and Trade, Transport, Environment, Health, Minister of Justice, Labor and Social Affairs, Mayor of Prague, Cardinal Duka, the chairmen of parliamentary groups and the chairman of trade unions Josef Středula. Directors of Czech and international opera and ballet houses, as well as celebrities and patrons of Czech culture, could also be spotted in the auditorium.
The aforementioned guests arrived at the Opera House before the official start of the event, at 6 pm, so as to have enough time to explore the entire building in all its glory, give their speeches and have a few glasses of champagne.
Models and personalities of Czech show business who have nothing to do with theater and music were not invited.
Open in gallery (3)
Monika Babišová byla v obležení. Source: LP-life.cz
Festive moments
Around two dozen people gathered in front of the building to protest against Babiš before the event, but they were quickly dispersed because the demonstration hadn't been reported.
As the concert was broadcast live by Czech Television, all guests had to be seated at 8.40 pm. The spectacular gala concert was opened by the tones of the overture of Richard Wagner's The Mastersingers of Nürnberg exactly 132 years after the first opening of the building, under the baton of the music director of the State Opera Karl-Heinz Steffens.
The opera gala with the subtitle "The State Opera: Transformations in Time (1888–2018)" reflected the most famous chapters of the remarkable history of the State Opera. It was directed by the renowned director Alice Nellis. Czech playwright Pavel Kohout addressed the audience several times during the evening through a special installation on the stage, comprehensively mapping the historical milestones. The concept of the evening was prepared by dramaturgs Jitka Slavíková and Ondřej Hučín.
Conducted by the music director of the State Opera Karel-Heinz Steffens, prominent soloists of the National Theater and State Opera, as well as other Czech and international guests such as Pavel Černoch, Eva Urbanová, Kateřina Kněžíková and Slovak bassist Peter Mikuláš presented themselves.
"The purpose of the reconstruction was to return the State Opera to its original condition. Visitors in the auditorium should thus feel as if they have returned to the times of the Habsburg monarchy, to the year 1888. To the time when the building was still the New German Theater, which was opened exactly 132 years ago. At the same time, the technical part of the theater will be state-of-the-art. And so two worlds will meet under the new roof - the past and the present. I wish for the once and future form of the State Opera to become the meeting place of different worlds, so that not always the same people would come together there, but even those who have never been to the opera would come to visit,"
said Minister of Culture Lubomír Zaorálek.
"I am pleased with the great and professionally demanding work of many collaborators from the theater as well as building contractors,"
summarizes the director of the National Theater Jan Burian.
"I have sought a comprehensive reconstruction of the State Opera, which has now reached its completion. Now I will strive for a new artistic flourishing of the Opera in the European context. The National Theater, with all its scenes, wants to be a cultural institution where visitors from our country as well as abroad wish to keep returning,"
he added.
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Miroslav Donutil s manželkou. Source: LP-life.cz
Future plans of the Opera
Starting on January 9, visitors can look forward to Ludwig van Beethoven's opera Fidelio at the State Opera. The production of King Roger by Karol Szymanowski will follow in April, Sleeping Beauty by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky in May.
