Set in a busy Czech village bound by tradition and tangled in secrets, The Bartered Bride is a fast-paced comic opera where two young lovers attempt to rewrite the rules. To be together, they need to outwit a meddling matchmaker, sidestep an unwanted marriage contract and survive the arrival of a traveling circus.

At the heart of the story is Irish soprano Amy Ní Fhearraigh as Mařenka, a spirited young woman determined to marry for love but promised to a wealthy landowner’s son. Russian-Ukrainian tenor Egor Zhuravskii sings her devoted, but not entirely honest lover, Jeník.

Smetana’s melodic score bursts with infectious folk rhythms, dazzling duets and the vibrant energy of its famous overture and dances. Irish National Opera’s energetic production brings a fresh musical perspective, with conductor Richard Peirson leading his own dynamic new arrangement of Smetana’s beloved score.

The Bartered Bride is sung in English with English surtitles.

In partnership with Laidlaw Opera Trust.

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