National Theatre Prag to the National Day of the Czech Republic: Don Giovanni Opera
27.10.2021 / 09:08 | Aktualizováno: 27.10.2021 / 09:32
To celebrate 28th October, the National Day of the Czech Republic, we invite you to watch the on-line video record of "Don Giovanni" opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart on www.artmusic.com.
National Day of the Czech Republic 28 th October:
Always celebrated on October 28th, The Independent Czechoslovak State Day is the most important public holiday is the Czech Republic. Also known as Foundation of the Independent Czechoslovak State Day, this holiday commemorates the date in 1918 when Czechoslovakia was created. The area of Czechoslovakia had been a part of the Austro Hungarian Empire until the Empire collapsed at the end of the first world war. The Czech speaking areas of Bohemia and Moravia had been under Austrian rule while Slovakia was part of Hungary. Before the first world war, there had been nationalist movements in both the Czech lands and Slovakia. Despite the Czech area being an industrialised region and Slovakia being a mainly agricultural-based country, the two regions took the opportunity to become a new nation. 'Czechoslovak' independence was proclaimed in Prague's Wenceslas Square on October 28th 1918. The president of the 'First Republic' was Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, who was the leader of the nationalist movement outside the Austro Hungarian Empire.
National Theatre Prag, Czech Republic
Don Giovanni: Andrei Beschastny, Il Commendatore: Dalibor Jedlička,
Donna Anna: Nadezhda Petrenko, Don Ottavio: Vladimír Doležal,
Donna Elvira: Jiřina Marková, Leporello: Luděk Vele,
Masetto: Zdeněk Harvánek, Zerlina: Alice Randová
Sir Charles Mackerras (conductor)
David Radok (stage director)
Tazeena Firth (set & costume designer)
Mozart wrote his opera Don Giovanni on a commission for Prague where it was also first performed on October 29, 1787, in the Estates Theatre, which is the only existing theatre where Mozart conducted two world premieres of his operas. The second opera - La clemenza di Tito - took place in 1791. The building of the Estates Theatre was thoroughly and perfectly reconstructed between 1983 and 1991 to preserve its original appearance. Operatic performances were resumed there on December 1, 1991, on the occasion of the bicentenary of Mozart's death, with a new production of Don Giovanni. This recording of that solemn performance is a unique documentary of a momentous event and of an original production.
The role of Don Giovanni is sung by Andrei Beschastny. He was born in Kiev where he studied drama and later singing. Then his education was taken over by the well-known singer, national artist Larisa Rudienko, his grandmother. He is a soloist in the Opera and Ballet Theatre in Kiev. He has also been successfully performing abroad, mainly in Germany, Finland and Canada.
Michal Caban (Multi-Camera television director)
154 min viewing of this production on www.artmusic.tv ,launches 28 October and will only be available to view until 30 October.
You can contact the Czech Embassy for free access to the streaming until 27 October 2021 15:00 via email on alice_mzykova@mzv.cz.
