The Devil’s Wall

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National Theatre Chorus
National Theatre Opera Ballet
National Theatre Orchestra

Bedřich Smetana’s last completed opera, The Devil’s Wall, the fruit of collaboration with Eliška Krásnohorská, who penned the librettos for his previous operas The Kiss and The Secret, bears both its originally intended comic nature and, more significantly, a final lyrical tone. The composer evidently identified with the character of the ageing nobleman Vok, projecting his own feelings, perhaps ever more so than before. This remarkable work can thus be interpreted as, among other things, a reflection on Smetana's life, one fraught with emotional upheavals.

The libretto is based on a legend pertaining to Vok I of Rosenberg, according to which the Virgin Mary saved his life when he was drowning in the Vltava, whereupon he promised to build a monastery dedicated to her. Another legend has it that the Devil strove to halt the building of the monastery by walling in the river, which would then rise and flood the site. Yet the Devil failed to finish his work by dawn, the wall collapsed and rocks covered the entire valley. The librettist used the historical facts about Vok’s marrying Hedwig von Schaunberg and founding the Vyšší Brod monastery as inspiration, handling them very loosely yet effectively, also embellishing the story with an attractive love subplot. Having been most recently performed two decades ago,

Smetana’s The Devil’s Wall will now return to the National Theatre Opera repertoire as adapted by the stage director Ondřej Havelka, whose productions are characterised by foregrounding comicality, detached view and penchant for intriguing styles of the past. Given that the sets and costumes will be created by Kateřina Štefková and Martin Černý, we can expect a truly spectacular visual experience. The music will be explored by the renowned conductor Tomáš Brauner, who will be working on a National Theatre production for the very first time.