Artists
Jack Ridley – conductor
Garsington Opera Adult Company
Programme
Smetana arr. Cole-Swinard The Bartered Brides
The Bartered Brides is a reimagined version of Smetana’s original opera The Bartered Bride, arranged specifically for the Garsington Opera Adult Company who will be joined by professional singer Adam Maxey and musicians from the Philharmonia.
Director PJ Harris and designer Hugo Aguirre have transformed the Old Town Hall of High Wycombe into a bustling village from days gone by, where you’ll move from place to place in a promenade performance, experiencing Mařenka and Jeník’s story first-hand. There’s drama, there’s intrigue, and of course, there’s star-crossed romance.
Kecal, the corrupt town mayor, is profiting from matchmaking the entire village. He morally disapproves of Jeník and Mařenka, two village women who love each other in spite of the stigma of the times, and attempts to set up Mařenka with a prospective husband, Vašek, while blackmailing Jeník to go along with his plan.