The Kiss

The Kiss is Bedřich Smetana’s sixth opera. The brilliant Czech composer was already deaf when he composed it. The plot is not at all complicated. A young widower with a child, Lukáš, is supposed to marry Vendulka, but they are both stubborn. As soon as they meet, they argue about the kiss that Vendulka does not want to give Lukáš out of respect for the deceased. Lukáš appears under Vendulka’s window with other girls to humiliate her. In the end, he regrets this and apologises to her. She forgives him and wants to kiss him, but now it is Lukáš who turns his head. Finally, they fall into each other’s arms. The Kiss is one of Smetana’s most popular operas and has been staged no less than ten times by the National Moravia-Silesian Theatre. It was often performed during the German occupation as its “Czechness” helped to maintain a national consciousness. When Czech theatres reopened after World War II, the Ostrava-based ensemble returned to the stage on 19 May 1945 with this opera, followed, a few weeks later, by The Bartered Bride.

About the company

The National Moravian-Silesian Theatre (founded in 1919) is the largest and oldest professional theatre in Ostrava and the Moravian-Silesian Region. It is also the largest cultural institution established by the Statutory City of Ostrava. The theatre’s four companies—opera, drama, ballet and musical—perform regularly on three permanent stages: the Antonín Dvořák Theatre, the Jiří Myron Theatre, and the Theatre 12 chamber space. The theatre premieres approximately 20 productions and performs almost 500 performances per season. In addition to its regular productions, the National Moravian-Silesian Theatre co-produces the OST-RA-VAR festival of dramatic theatre and the biennial opera festivals New Opera Days Ostrava (NODO) and Ostrava Days.