The chamber version of Two Widows, which won 13. European opera-directing prize Camerata Nouva, debuts at the Smetana Litomyšl Festival. An international production that will start in Bedřich’s hometown and then travel across Europe.

In the spirit of music without borders, the Italian creative team is partnered by Czech-British music director Lada Valešová. The British cast, accompanied by the Litomyšl amateur accompanists, is accompanied by the top Škamp String Quartet and pianist Filip Martinka. The production is staged by Birmingham Opera Company, which is known for its innovation and ethos.

In a time marked by resignation to the present and distrust in the future, Smetana’s Two Widows offers us the opportunity to awaken hope and imagination. Behind the plot, which may seem frivolous, is a deep love for life. The past confronts the present. What we have been, and what we can become. When is it too late for love? When is desire no longer worth it? Where’s the limit? These questions, prompted by the music and libretto of the opera, inspired the creative team to stage the opera Two Widows with a cast of senior singers and volunteers. The taboo of widow marriage becomes the taboo of a woman who fears that she will look ridiculous and inappropriate if she dares to fall in love again at her age.

Caroline’s estate becomes a retirement home: a second spring home. In a place and time where it is common to sink into loneliness and apathy, Smetana’s music is a powerful means of awakening energies and contact with otherwise unreachable areas of the mind. The singers, along with volunteers, play comical and tender characters who try to love themselves and others instead of wallowing in isolation and accepting life changes.

In their finale, the two widows remind us that we cannot live and love until we learn to “let go”.