Komenský (Comenius)

About

A brand-new opera composed by Jan Jirásek, holder of two Czech Lions. Commissioned by the South Bohemian Theater, this new piece will take you through the turbulent Europe of the 17th century at film speed. It is a story about how to find paradise of the heart in the labyrinth of the Thirty Years’ War, plagues, religious intolerance, personal tragedies, and life in exile.

Jan Amos Komenský stands as one of the most significant European thinkers in modern history. His ideas were so forward-thinking that they remain influential even today, particularly in education, where many of his principles still guide our approaches. Komenský's life was marked by great hardship, not only because he lived through the devastation of the Thirty Years' War—the largest European conflict of its time—but also because he experienced other wars and endured multiple plague epidemics. These outbreaks claimed the lives of his parents and sisters in Uherský Brod, as well as his wife and children in Fulnek, along with many friends and acquaintances in Lešno.

In our collective memory, Jan Amos Komenský is widely known as the "teacher of nations." This title is well-deserved, as his educational works opened doors to the broader world. He worked in various countries, including Sweden and England, where he was even considered for the position of rector at Harvard University. He also settled in Leszno, Poland, before being expelled for collaborating with the Swedes, who had previously laid siege to the town. Komenský spent his final 14 years in Amsterdam and was laid to rest in the nearby village of Naarden. Although he passed away believing that most of his works had been destroyed and that little of his legacy remained, around 250 of his works have survived. In addition to his educational texts, such as Orbis Pictus and The Gate of Languages Opened, he also authored philosophical and allegorical works. One of the most renowned is The Labyrinth of the World and the Paradise of the Heart, which was published exactly 400 years before the premiere of the opera Comenius. Two characters from this opera, Searchall Ubiquitous and Delusion, are taken from this book, and the artist has symbolically dressed them in costumes adorned with illustrations from Komenský's work.

 

Cast

Jan Amos Sr. – Jan Šťáva
Jan Amos Jr. – Jakub Hliněnský
Magdalene – Anna Moriová 
Ubiquitous – Michal Marhold
Delusion – Zuzana Koś Kopřivová
Daniel, son of Comenius – František Sliž
Mayor / Ferdinand II. – Tomáš Kořínek
Doctor Tulp – Tomáš Maliniak
Two townsmen – Martin Doucha / Tomáš Kotek, Přemysl Stibor
Two townswomen – Tereza Faltýnová / Kristýna Janů, Anna Vodičková

South Bohemian Theater orchestra, chorus and ballet

Creatives

Libretto: Tomáš Jarkovský
Conductor: Jiří Štrunc
Stage director: Tomáš Ondřej Pilař
Sets: Marek Kubát, Tomáš Ondřej Pilař
Costumes: Dana Haklová
Light design: Daniel Tesař
Choreography: Martin Šinták
Chorus master: Martin Veselý
Dramaturgy: Eva Marečková, Marek Pavlíček