The Stubborn Lovers Op. 17, is a one-act comic opera

Comic opera

Comic opera denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending.Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a new operatic genre, opera buffa, emerged as an alternative to opera seria...

 in 16 scenes by Czech composer Antonín Dvořák

Antonín Dvorák

Antonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...

. It was written in 1874 to the 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...

 of the Czech lawyer and writer Dr. Josef Štolba (1846–1930). In English, the work is also known as The Pig-Headed Peasants.

Performance history

The première took place on 2 October 1881 at the New Czech Theatre (Nové české divadlo) in 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...

, but was withdrawn from the stage after the second performance as the management of the theatre could not reach an agreement with the composer on his royalties. The opera was staged very rarely during Dvořák’s lifetime; nonetheless, it later became part of the standard Czech operatic repertoire.

Roles

Role	Voice type	Premiere cast, 2 October 1881 (Conductor:-)
Říhová	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...	Betty Fibichová Betty Fibichová Betty Fibichová was a Czechoslovak opera singer and the wife of composer Zdeněk Fibich. The greatest Czech operatic contralto of her day, she enjoyed close artistic partnerships with both Antonín Dvořák and Bedřich Smetana in addition to collaborating frequently with her husband.-Biography:Born...
Řeřicha	bass	Karel Čech
Lenka	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...	Helena Frommová
Vávra	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...	Leopold Stropnický
Toník	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...	Adolf Krössing Adolf Krössing Adolf Krössing was a Czech operatic tenor, stage director, and actor of both the stage and film. Possessing a smaller voice, Krössing impressed audiences not with his vocal prowess but with his dramatic gifts. A master of improvisation and comic timing, he excelled in character roles...

Plot summary

Two village neighbours, widower Vávra and widow Říhová came to an agreement that their children, Toník and Lenka will be married, but without their approval. The godfather of the youngsters, old Řeřicha, knows that they love each other, but they are too stubborn to yield to any pressure. The young pair refuses to obey their parents and the cunning Řeřicha tries to find a way out. He suggests to the lovers that actually old Vávra (Toník’s father) wants to marry Lenka, while Říhová (Lenka’s mother) is to get Toník as a husband. Řeřicha arranges a secret meeting, first with Lenka then with Toník, and they spy on the meetings of their counterparts and their alleged old suitors. Toník and Lenka start to be jealous of each other. Řeřicha’s successful trick spreads fast through the village and the parents become targets of ridicule. Toník and Lenka regret their stubbornness and admit their love. Finally, Řeřicha admits he set the trap only for the sake of uniting the "stubborn lovers", and everything concludes in a happy ending.

Recordings

• 2004, Jiří Bělohlávek
  Jirí Belohlávek
  Jiří Bělohlávek is a Czech conductor. His father was a barrister and judge. In his youth Bělohlávek studied cello with Miloš Sádlo and was later a graduate of the Prague Conservatory and the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague...
  
   (conductor), Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus, Jana Sýkorová
  Jana Sýkorová
  Jana Sýkorová is a Czech operatic contralto. She has been a leading soloist with the Prague State Opera since 1999. Since 2002 she has been a permanent guest at the National Theatre in Prague and was made a permanent guest at the National Theatre in Brno in 2006.-Biography:Born in Karlovy Vary,...
  
   (Říhová), Gustáv Beláček (Řeřicha), Zdena Kloubová (Lenka), Roman Janál (Vavra), and Jaroslav Březina (Toník). Supraphon
  Supraphon
  Supraphon Music Publishing is a Czech record label, it is oriented mainly towards publishing classical music, with an emphasis on Czech and Slovak composers.- History :...
  
  SU 3765-2631