Antonín Dvorák's 1874 one-act comedy, The Stubborn Lovers ("Tvrde Palice" in Czech), is a slim-lined, delightful work that despite its predictable plot still surprises and seems fresh. It concerns a widow and her daughter and a widower and his son. The old folks have arranged for their kids to marry, and in fact the kids love each other--but just to rebel, the youngsters refuse to give in to the marriage. A smart old man in town therefore convinces the respective kids that the widow and widower want to marry them--after which the kids admit their love for one another and all ends happily.

The music flows easily, with dialogue melting into arioso, arias, duets, or trios, gracefully and naturally. There are tunes galore, and conductor Jirí Bĕlohlávek ideally judges the score and libretto's charm and lightness. The performances are uniformly excellent, with a few standouts. Tenor Jaroslav Brezina has a warm, Italianate sound, perfectly lyrical and very expressive as Tonik, the son; it would be interesting to chart his future career. The daughter, Lenka, is pertly sung by Zdena Kloubova, who sounds as young and enthusiastic as her tenor boyfriend. Vavra, Tonik's father, is well-handled by Roman Janal, who never mugs while exhibiting his warm, light baritone. As Lenka's mom, contralto Jana Sykorová has less to do than the others, but she does it well. The scheming, smart Rericha is sung by bass Gustav Belacek, and while he sounds somewhat too young for the part, he's as musical and convincing as the rest.

The Prague forces play and sing with as much grace and respect for this bauble as the soloists. The sound is excellent. Why isn't this work seen on a double bill, with Gianni Schicchi for instance, for an evening of comedy--or Cav or Pag, for nice contrast? It would be a pleasure to encounter it on a stage.

--Robert Levine