Uploaded June 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Maestro Leon Botstein introduces this year’s SummerScape opera, Bedřich Smetana’s Dalibor, running July 25 – August 3.
https://fishercenter.bard.edu/events/dalibor
Dalibor
by Bedřich Smetana
SummerScape Opera/New Production
Libretto by Josef Wenzig
Czech translation by Ervín Špindler
Directed by Jean-Romain Vesperini
American Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leon Botstein
Sung in Czech with English supertitles
July 25 – August 3
“Botstein, and his annual opera production at Bard, seem more invaluable by the year.” —The New York Times
Experience the gripping drama of Bedřich Smetana’s Dalibor, a powerful Czech opera that weaves themes of revenge, love, and fate. Set against a backdrop of medieval intrigue, Dalibor follows its titular tragic hero as he faces a desperate struggle for redemption. With sweeping orchestral music and unforgettable arias, Dalibor captivates with its emotional depth and stirring melodies. Director Jean-Romain Vesperini (Henri VIII) returns to Bard SummerScape to helm this first fully staged American production of a rarely heard masterpiece.
Music: Bedřich Smetana (orch. Szell) From My Life (String Quartet in E Minor), performed by The Orchestra Now, conducted by Maestro Leon Botstein
Maestro Leon Botstein introduces this year’s SummerScape opera, Bedřich Smetana’s Dalibor, running July 25 – August 3.
https://fishercenter.bard.edu/events/dalibor
Dalibor
by Bedřich Smetana
SummerScape Opera/New Production
Libretto by Josef Wenzig
Czech translation by Ervín Špindler
Directed by Jean-Romain Vesperini
American Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leon Botstein
Sung in Czech with English supertitles
July 25 – August 3
“Botstein, and his annual opera production at Bard, seem more invaluable by the year.” —The New York Times
Experience the gripping drama of Bedřich Smetana’s Dalibor, a powerful Czech opera that weaves themes of revenge, love, and fate. Set against a backdrop of medieval intrigue, Dalibor follows its titular tragic hero as he faces a desperate struggle for redemption. With sweeping orchestral music and unforgettable arias, Dalibor captivates with its emotional depth and stirring melodies. Director Jean-Romain Vesperini (Henri VIII) returns to Bard SummerScape to helm this first fully staged American production of a rarely heard masterpiece.
Music: Bedřich Smetana (orch. Szell) From My Life (String Quartet in E Minor), performed by The Orchestra Now, conducted by Maestro Leon Botstein
