Viola is an unfinished romantic opera by Bedrich Smetana. The libretto was written by Eliska Krasnohorska, and is based on Shakespeare`s play Twelfth Night. The composer did some work on it in 1874 and then came back to it in 1883, when he only managed to orchestrate a few scenes; the opera was left incomplete upon Smetana`s death in 1884.
A concert performance (of the unfinished work) was given on 15 March 1900 and it was staged at the Prague National Theatre on 11 May 1924.
Roles
Orsino, Duke of Illyria — tenor
Viola, twin sister to Sebastian — mezzo-soprano
Sebastian, twin brother to Viola — mezzo-soprano
Antonio, a captain — bass
Marco (Marko), an old — bass
Fisherman — baritone
Olivia (Olivie), a countess — mezzo-soprano
Sir Toby (Zeman Tobias), Olivia`s uncle — baritone
Sir Andrew (Zeman Ondrej), his companion — tenor
Malvolio, a steward — baritone
Marie, a gentlewoman — soprano
Jester (Sasek) — baritone