Prague and Brno are two of the great operatic capitals of Europe. Even before Mozart’s legendary visits to Prague to oversee performances of Le Nozze di Figaro and the premières of Don Giovanni and La Clemenza di Tito, there were signs of operatic life, notably in Count Nostitz’s exquisitely proportioned theatre, later renamed the Estates Theatre when it was sold to the citizens of Prague.

Through much of the nineteenth century, this theatre was home to German opera in the Czech capital. Later, as the national revival gathered pace, the Czech-speaking population of Prague wanted a theatre of their own and in 1862 opened the handsome, though rather cramped, Provisional Theatre. This estimable building, which saw the premières of all but one of Smetana’s operas, was spectacularly replaced by the National Theatre in 1881. Rebuilt in 1883 after a fire, the building is a temple to the Czech nation. The sumptuous auditorium is dominated by a proscenium crowned with the proud inscription that this was a gift from ‘the nation to itself’.

Brno, historic and beautiful capital of Moravia, was for much of his life the home of the Czech Republic’s greatest twentieth-century composer, Leos Janáček. The Janáček Theatre, purpose-built for opera, was opened in 1965 and is a superb venue for a wide variety of operatic styles. Dvořák’s supremely lyrical Rusalka is arguably his greatest and certainly his best loved opera.

The tour is led by a musicologist who gives talks on each opera. As with many of our music tours, the performances are interspersed with a gentle programme of visits and walks.

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