Soprano Kateřina Kněžíková’s debut as the title role in Smetana’s grand festive opera Libuše, conducted by Jakub Hrůša, has been acclaimed as “the pearl of the Prague Spring Festival” (Opera Journal).
Making her debut in the role of Libuše, Kněžíková “does not hide that she dared to take it on as a step forward – considering her trajectory to date and her predominantly lyrical voice – precisely because it was not yet in a theatre”, noted Petr Veber from Klasika Plus. “She met the challenge. She didn’t turn the princess into a grand heroine, but portrayed her as a human being. She took advantage of her voice and didn’t try to reinvent it. Thanks to her thoughtfulness and thanks to the acoustics of the hall and the intimacy of the stage and auditorium, she handled even the most vocally strained passages sufficiently fully, emotionally and with dignity. She added civilian believability, kindness and poignancy. Among the number of sopranos who have met this role, she is different – but completely her own and legitimate. Thanks to her, thanks to the type she is, the listener will not think that Libuše is too “Wagnerian”. The warmth in her voice – and the similar warmth found in the conductor and orchestra – is the feature that most distinguishes Smetana from the German master.”
Helena Havlíková from Opera Plus wrote, “The part of Libuše develops this leading soprano of ours with a step into new professional dimensions. Thanks to this mutual trust [with conductor Jakub Hrusa] , Kateřina Kněžíková convinced that Libuše need not be just a magnificent heroine with a Wagnerian dramatic voice. Her Libuše was winningly youthful, heartily feminine, abounding in warmth and kindness. Even in the high register and stronger dynamics, she did not resort to overloading the voice. She handled the power of her voice and the intensity of her expression very thoughtfully, and phrased with close connection to the text during her excellent declamation. She showed that the effectiveness of emotions is not determined by volume alone, but comes from variety and contrasts”
Václav Bečvar from Opera Journal wrote, “The performance received a stamp of uniqueness thanks to the performance of soprano Kateřina Kněžíková, debuting the titular character of the mythical princess. Kněžíková’s interpretation showed perfect preparation and maximum concentration for this role. In a wonderful way, she gave a memorable opening prayer, in which she clearly showed the direction she wanted to go, and that was detailed work with the text and singing the content, not merely the notes. With excellent intelligibility of the words, she simultaneously demonstrated a wonderful full legato and, overall, gave Libuše a large dose of feminine tenderness, but also decisiveness and melancholy. She also showed the requisite punch in the final prophecy scene, but never pushed her voice beyond her own domain. Thanks to her focus in the field of a lyric soprano, she dazzled with her beautiful, secure high range, but also surprised with her solidly secure middle register and her technically well-mastered (and sonorous) deeper tones. In addition, she graced Smetana’s Libuše with her charm and personal charisma.”
Michaela Vostrelová from Aktuálně wrote, “Soprano Kateřina Kněžíková, who found herself in the center of attention now at the Prague Spring. The historical predominance of female performers of Libuše is on the side of dramatic sopranos with big voices, which certainly partly stems from the monumentality of the subject itself, but it has already been shown several times that the character of the role does not necessarily have a core in the dramatic voice field. Kněžíková has an intelligent musicality, thanks to which she technically elaborates phrases in detail and builds a commanding legato. In the Rudolfinum, many passages sounded beautiful, full-blooded or fragile depending on what the libretto and score demanded; the melodic climaxes were seductive, solid, and brought physical pleasure. The viewer could note how intensely Kateřina Kněžíková held her position as the first lady of the evening and how skillfully she worked with the admiration of the audience.”
The performance will be repeated on 16 June 2024 at Smetana’s Litomyšl Festival – the second oldest music festival in the Czech Republic, celebrating the bicentenary of the birth of the founder of Czech classical music.
Photo Credit: Ivan Maly, Prague Spring Festival
