Czech composer Vítězslav Novák (1870 - 1949), whose name the general musical public has most often associated with the Slovak Suite, in fact left a fairly extensive compositional legacy, including four operas. Of these, The Lantern, an opera in four acts to the libretto of Hanuš Jelínek, based on the eponymous play by Alois Jirásek, was written between 1919 and 1922. In the overall context of Czech opera production, The Lantern ranks alongside the most quintessentially poetic works. Novák, who was thoroughly enchanted by the fairy-tale atmosphere of Jirásek's yarn, fitted his opera with an idyllic musical vocabulary befittingly portraying the individual characters and providing masterly renditions of the various moods and situations pertinent to the plot. He did not hesitate to combine singing parts with melodramatic elements, incorporating into his opera spoken parts of ambulant musicians and miscellaneous other cameo rustic characters. The Lantern was premiered at Prague's National Theatre, on 13th May, 1923. Since that day, it has evolved into a repertory vehicle sought after by major Czech and Slovak opera houses. The many years that have elapsed since its first performance have detracted nothing from its poetry and melodic charm. Novák's The Lantern has retained a niche in the gallery of Czech operas which is inimitably and incontestably its own. SU 3642-2612 2CDs CMD Slogan: Novák's The Lantern: One of the most quintessentially poetic Czech operas.