Comedy on the Bridge
Encyclopedia
Comedy on the Bridge is an opera
in one act by Bohuslav Martinů
to a Czech libretto
by the composer, based on the comedy by Václav Kliment Klicpera
.
, Prague
on 18 March 1937. The first staged performance was at Hunter College
, New York City
on 28 May 1951, which the composer attended and which received an award for "best new opera" from the New York Music Critics Circle. Martinů arranged three numbers from the opera into a "Little Suite" for chamber orchestra, including piano.
In parallel, Bedron, the village brewer, is allowed on to the bridge from his own side, but is prevented from crossing over at the other side. With Josephine and Bedron detained on the bridge, Bedron casually makes a pass at Josephine. Josephine's fiancé Johnny then appears, and accuses her of being unfaithful. Eva, Bedron's wife, in turn arrives and she joins the argument.
The schoolmaster then joins the scene, trying to solve a riddle that he heard from Colonel Ladinsky, an officer on his own side: 'a deer is in a field, surrounded by a wall too high and steep to jump or climb. How does the deer escape?' The riddle parallels the characters' situation. Then, offstage, battle sounds are heard. The two couples settle their differences peacably. Then they hear news of battlefield victory, on their side. Colonel Ladinsky then appears and tells Josephine her brother is alive; it turns out that she buried another deceased soldier. The colonel also reveals the answer to the riddle: the deer does not escape. Everyone laughes and celebrates the victory.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
in one act by Bohuslav Martinů
Bohuslav Martinu
Bohuslav Martinů was a prolific Czech composer of modern classical music. He was of Czech and Rumanian ancestry. Martinů wrote six symphonies, 15 operas, 14 ballet scores and a large body of orchestral, chamber, vocal and instrumental works. Martinů became a violinist in the Czech Philharmonic...
to a Czech libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by the composer, based on the comedy by Václav Kliment Klicpera
Václav Kliment Klicpera
Václav Kliment Klicpera was a Czech playwright, author, and poet. He was one of the first presenters of Czech drama, and was especially influential in the foundation of comedic Czech theater....
.
Performance history
The first performance occurred over Czech RadioCeský rozhlas
Český rozhlas is the Czech Republic's publicly funded radio broadcasting organization.It offers the following radio channels:*ČRo 1 – Radiožurnál: news and information*ČRo 2 – Praha: talk and family programmes...
, Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
on 18 March 1937. The first staged performance was at Hunter College
Hunter College
Hunter College, established in 1870, is a public university and one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Hunter grants undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in more than one hundred fields of study, and is recognized...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on 28 May 1951, which the composer attended and which received an award for "best new opera" from the New York Music Critics Circle. Martinů arranged three numbers from the opera into a "Little Suite" for chamber orchestra, including piano.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 18 March 1937 (Conductor: ) |
|---|---|---|
| Popelka, the village beauty | soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody... |
|
| Sykos, a fisherman, Josephine's fiancé | baritone Baritone Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or... |
|
| Bedron, a brewer | bass | |
| Eva, Bedron's wife | contralto Contralto Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above... |
|
| Schoolmaster | tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2... |
|
| Friendly sentry | spoken | |
| Enemy sentry | spoken | |
| Friendly officer | spoken | |
Synopsis
The setting is on a bridge over a river, during the first half of the 19th century. The river separates two opposing armies during an unspecified conflict. Josephine Popelka has earlier been to the battlefield and buried her brother. On her return, the enemy sentry lets her pass, but holds her papers from his commanding officer. Without the proper papers, the sentry on her own side denies her request to pass, and Josephine must remain on the bridge.In parallel, Bedron, the village brewer, is allowed on to the bridge from his own side, but is prevented from crossing over at the other side. With Josephine and Bedron detained on the bridge, Bedron casually makes a pass at Josephine. Josephine's fiancé Johnny then appears, and accuses her of being unfaithful. Eva, Bedron's wife, in turn arrives and she joins the argument.
The schoolmaster then joins the scene, trying to solve a riddle that he heard from Colonel Ladinsky, an officer on his own side: 'a deer is in a field, surrounded by a wall too high and steep to jump or climb. How does the deer escape?' The riddle parallels the characters' situation. Then, offstage, battle sounds are heard. The two couples settle their differences peacably. Then they hear news of battlefield victory, on their side. Colonel Ladinsky then appears and tells Josephine her brother is alive; it turns out that she buried another deceased soldier. The colonel also reveals the answer to the riddle: the deer does not escape. Everyone laughes and celebrates the victory.
Recording
- Supraphon: Jarmila Krátká, René Tuček; Brno Janáček Opera Orchestra; František JílekFrantišek JílekFrantišek Jílek was a Czech conductor, known especially for his interpretation of Leoš Janáček's works.- Life :...
, conductor