The Death of Vlasta explained

The Death of Vlasta (Czech: Vlasty skon) is a 1903 opera by Otakar Ostrčil. The story concerns Vlasta, leader of warriors in The Maidens' War legend and is connected to the subject matter of Smetana's Libuše and Fibich's Šárka (and later Janáček's Šárka).

Karel Pippich, author of the drama Vlasty skon: Dramatická báseň o třech jednáních, určená pro drama (1885), first offered the story to Antonín Dvořák, but he declined, so it was later accepted by Fibich's pupil Ostrčil.^{[1] [2] [3]}

The opera was only performed six times.

Recordings

• Aria from Act 2 - "Aria of Vojmír to Vlasta", LP (1984); sung by bass Ivan Kusnjer

Notes and References

1. Book: Wörner, Karl Heinrich. History of music: a book for study and reference. 1973. Collier Macmillan . He wrote five operas: Vlasty skon, or Vlasti's Death, to a text by Karel Pippich (Prague 1904) [sic] ... The first opera, Vlasta's Death, which grew out of the national mythic soil, reveals Ostrcil's close study of Fibich..
2. Book: Clapham, John. Dvořák. 1979 . David & Charles. 9780715377901. 163. He turned down Pippich's text 'The Death of Vlasta', but when routing around the archives of the National Theatre he came across something much more attractive. This was Hostinsky's libretto..
3. Book: Dvořák, Otakar. Antonín Dvořák, my father. Paul J. Polansky . 1993. Czech Historical Research Center. 95. Dr. Pippich from Chrudim offered my father the text Vlasty Skon (Vlasta's End). Father liked this very much and decided to ask Dr. Pippich for some corrections for a composition. At the same time Otakar Ostrcil was already working on....