The Treasure of Arcadia | Perform Czech

The Treasure of Arcadia is an opera composed by Tomáš Hanzlík using a libretto by Marek Řihák. Hanzlík uses his original neo-baroque composing style to tell a story based on the poems of Theokritos, an Ancient Greek poet. Řihák’s libretto masterfully collects his stories about young seducers who all fall in love with the young shepherd Dafnis and gives life to a story of love that transcends the centuries.

Director Jakub Čermák’s staging focuses on minimalistic but effective work with actors, complemented by lighting and scenic design by Pavlína Chroňáková. In their interpretation, the ancient story is brought to the audience through the connection of two worlds – historical and modern. The story is told by five male singers singing all vocal parts (even soprano and alto). Taken together, these elements make The Treasure of Arcadia an impressive performance for audiences of all ages, genders and sexual orientations because there is a part of the story that will touch everyone’s heart.

About the company

Ensemble Damian focuses on reconstructing forgotten baroque operas as well as presenting contemporary neo-baroque pieces by Czech composers. The main purpose is to present baroque and contemporary pieces such as operas and oratorios to a wide range of audiences and to give new life to sometimes long-lost masterpieces.