»The Bartered Bride« returns
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It is one of the most important works in comic opera literature: Bedřich Smetana's The Bartered Bride, which will celebrate its premiere at the Vienna State Opera on September 28, 2025 as the first new production of the 2025/26 season, returning to the repertoire after almost 35 years.
The opera, which was first performed in 1866 as a two-act singspiel with spoken dialog, was premiered in 1870 as a three-act, through-composed version. The breakthrough to worldwide success came in 1896 at the Haus am Ring, and until 1991 it was a fixed part of the local opera repertoire.
The plot masterfully depicts the state of emergency in a Czech village during the fair and the seemingly hopeless struggle of a young woman to save her betrayed and sold love. The utopian world of a traveling circus holds up a mirror to the exuberant desires, fears and hopes of the villagers. With this work, Smetana attempted to find a specifically Czech sound and at the same time to realize his admiration for the musical comedies of Mozart and Wagner - with great success.
This new production marks director Dirk Schmeding's debut at the Vienna State Opera, with Tomáš Hanus conducting his second premiere at the Haus am Ring after Eugene Onegin. Slávka Zámečníková as Mařenka and Peter Kellner as Kecal make their personal role debuts in The Bartered Bride. Pavol Breslik returns to the Vienna State Opera in the role of Jeník, Michael Laurenz plays Vašek.
The Bartered Bride will be performed in German - Susanne Felicitas Wolf has created a new German version for this premiere production in close collaboration with the leading team and dramaturge Sergio Morabito.
About the cast
The bride Mařenka is sung by the versatile Slovakian soprano Slávka Zámečníková in her personal role debut.
Pavol Breslik is a regular guest at the major European opera houses. The Bartered Bride is his first premiere at Haus am Ring.
Michael Laurenz can be heard as Vašek. He was a member of the Vienna State Opera ensemble for several years, where he performed roles to great acclaim.
The matchmaker Kecal is played by the Slovakian bass/bass-baritone Peter Kellner, a former member of the Vienna State Opera ensemble who has already enjoyed success in numerous roles.
Franz Xaver Schlecht makes his debut at the house as Krušina.
Other roles include: Margaret Plummer as Ludmila, Hans Peter Kammerer (premiere) or Ivo Stanchev as Mícha, Monika Bohinec as Háta, Matthäus Schmidlechner as the Director of the Comedians, Ilia Staple as Esmeralda and Alex Ilvakhin as the Comedian.
The Vienna State Opera Orchestra and the Vienna State Opera Stage Orchestra will perform, and the Vienna State Opera Chorus will sing. Also performing are children from the Vienna State Opera's opera school and artists from the ape connection.
About the Leading Team
Director Dirk Schmeding has attracted attention with his work for Munich's Gärtnerplatztheater, the Graz Opera, the Theater an der Wien, the Hanover State Opera, the German National Theatre in Weimar and the Darmstadt State Theatre, among others. His production of the German premiere of Albéric Magnard's Guercœur at Theater Osnabrück was voted "Rediscovery of the Year" in the magazine "Opernwelt" and nominated for the International Opera Awards in 2020.
He has a personal history with The Bartered Bride, with which he is now making his debut at the Vienna State Opera:
"The first time I went toan opera house , it was the very first play I experienced and fell in love with, and with the genre of musical theater as well. What got me so hooked back then was the directness of this piece, its lack of pretense. You immediately understand these characters, their situations and hardships. Musically, the piece also sits somewhat between two worlds and between two stools, between Bohemian and German. Smetana learned from Mozart, but also from Wagner, the play opera is also there and the operetta can also be felt in moments. I think it is precisely this in-between that makes them so accessible. And I think it is this interesting area of the "in-between" that, for all the show value and all the fun and vitality that this piece has, ultimately also gives it its depth and wisdom."
The internationally sought-after conductor Tomáš Hanus has made guest appearances at La Scala in Milan, in Munich, Paris, Tokyo and Prague, is music director of the Welsh National Opera and works with major symphony orchestras. He made his debut at the Vienna State Opera in 2017 with Rusalka and also conducted the premiere of Eugene Onegin, the revival of Jenůfa and a series of performances of Hansel and Gretel with great success.
These are the first words that come to mind about The Bartered Bride: "Brilliant. Very touching. Witty. -But not so funny." Smetanaalsoshows "darker sides in this comedy and is not content with light humor." For the conductor, the composer can "innocently tell something beautiful, deeply touching and heartfelt, without any construction principle or compositional pattern shining through."
The leading team is completed by Robert Schweer (stage), Alfred Mayerhofer (costumes), Annika Dickel (choreography), Tim van 't Hof (lighting) and Johannes Kulz (video).