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European premiere of the first version of the opera Mariken de Nimègue
The Prague Symphony Orchestra (FOK) and the Prague Philharmonic Choir will present the European premiere of the newly discovered first version of the opera Mariken de Nimègue, H 236/2 I, conducted by Tomáš Netopil. The performance will take place on 17 and 18 June 2026 at the Municipal House in Prague and represents an extraordinary event not only within the FOK concert season.
This production is based on the critical edition prepared by the Bohuslav Martinů Institute as part of the comprehensive project The Bohuslav Martinů Complete Edition (BMCE). Its premiere in Prague follows the world premiere at the Bard Music Festival in 2025 and offers Czech audiences a unique opportunity to discover a lesser-known yet exceptionally compelling part of Martinů’s legacy.
Martinů composed the one-act opera Mariken de Nimègue based on a medieval Dutch Marian miracle during his stay in Paris in 1933 to a French text by Henri Ghéon. This is the unpublished and unperformed first version of the opera. The second and final version was created in 1934, which Martinů included in his Czech-language opera cycle Hry o Marii (The Plays of Mary), H 236. The reason for creating the second version was therefore the need to adapt the music to the Czech translation of Vilém Závada's libretto. The first version of the opera differs from the Czech version largely in the orchestration, the setting of the French text and the extensive original musical material, which Martinů no longer used in the second version.
The work is based on a medieval Dutch legend about a girl named Mariken, who succumbs to the devil’s temptation, undergoes moral and physical suffering, and ultimately finds redemption. Mariken reflects the composer’s interest in theatrical forms and in the fusion of archaic and modern musical elements. This early version of the opera, long considered lost, is one of the fundamental works of the composer’s output from the 1930s and foreshadows his later focus on musical drama and oratorio.
The evening is rounded out by Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony, whose lyrical atmosphere and imagery of nature provide a contrasting framework to the dramatic story of Mariken.
The same program will also be performed at the Smetana’s Litomyšl Festival on Friday 19 June 2026.
More information about the critical edition of the work:
https://www.martinu.cz/en/martinu/work/published-volumes/mariken-de-nimegue/
More information about the concerts in Prague on 17–18 June 2026:
https://prazskyfilharmonickysbor.cz/en/events/martinu-with-prague-symphony-orchestra-fok/
https://www.fok.cz/en/beethoven-pastoral-symphony
More information about the concert in Litomyšl on 19 June 2026:
https://smetanovalitomysl.cz/en/udalosti/bohuslav-martinu-mariken-operni-objev/
Wednesday 17 June 2026, 7.30 pmSmetana Hall, Municipal House, Prague, CZ
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 6 in F major “Pastoral”, op. 68
Bohuslav MARTINŮ: Mariken de Nimègue, H 236/2 I
– European premiere of the first version of the opera (concert performance)
Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK
Tomáš Netopil (conductor)
Prague Philharmonic Choir
Lukáš Kozubík (choirmaster)
Simona Šaturová (Mariken)
Jiří Brückler ((Devil)
Bella Adamova (Virgin Mary)
Daniel Matoušek (Mascaron)
Pavel Švingr (Son of God)
Vladimír Polívka (narrator)