The Bartered Bride May 2009 production at the Cutler Majestic Theatre, Opera Boston transplanted the action to 1934, in the small Iowan town of Spillville, once the home of a large Czech settlement. Although much of the music of "The Bartered Bride" is folk-like, the only significant use of authentic folk material is in the act 2 furiant, with a few other occasional glimpses of basic Czech folk melodies. The "Czechness" of the music is further illustrated by the closeness to Czech dance rhythms of many individual numbers. Smetana's diary indicates that he was trying to give the music "a popular character, because
Matus Tomko Dvorak International Vocal Competition in opera singing in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. As a principal soloist at the State Theatre in Kosice he has sung many roles of the world repertoire (Brander in Faust, Mícha – in the Bartered Bride, Samuel Ribbing in Un Ballo in Maschera by G. Verdi, Marchese d'Obigny in La Traviata by G. Verdi, Masetto in Don Giovanni by W. A. Mozart, captain Zuniga in Carmen by G. Bizet, etc.). In 2009, he performed the role of Jan (John) in the worldwide premiere of the original Slovak opera - Šavol (Saul) of which the music was