Opera Chic

I am your density: Crispin Glover’s Affinity for Smetana

Inarguably eccentric 43-year-old Hollyweird actor, Crispin Glover -- who won everyone's <3s as the awkwardly nerdy George McFly in the 1985 hit Back to the Future – was seen out and about in NYC recently to promote Beowulf, in which he voices Grendel, (and also to promote his own cinematic work called, "It Is Fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE").

Tuesday afternoon found him at the Met Museum browsing the collections. Glover has a passion for Czech castles, and apparently beds-down with his current girlfriend, Mara LaFontaine, in the former residence of late Czech composer Bedřich Smetana. WHUT? yes i live in smetana's old house, yes im a nerd, what of it, got a prob? The NYTimes Fashion & Style pages relays:

"[Crispin Glover] patrolled the museum’s sumptuous period rooms with Ms. LaFontaine, looking for decorating tips for his 15-bedroom castle in the Czech Republic. (“Bedrich Smetana wrote his last opera in the room I’m using as my den,” he said.)"

ha ha haha, smetana's 15-br castle? ok gimme a call when ur ready 2 spend some real $$$ & play iwth the big boys.

Smetana's Bohemian Threnody

The dialogue goes usually like this:

OperaChic: You know, Smetana is real--

Random Classical Music Know-It-All: Yea yea Moldau lol Bartered Bride lol Smetana lol rofl ahahaha

At this point, Opera Chic usually stabs them in the eye with a stiletto.

Because Bedrich Smetana is anything but a folk phenomenon, and even less of a one-hit wonder hack. He is a real composer, capable of creating a great work such as Dalibor (check out this Leonie Rysanek version if you haven't already, it's a keepah), and delicious string quartets (the piano work is nothing to write home about OC agrees), all before illness destroyed his career and his life. And seriously, Dvořák stole like crazy was very much influenced from poor Smetana's work.

For this reason, it's always good to announce that Smetana's Litomysl International Opera Festival, the largest open-air classical music festival in the Czech Republic, opens today.

The really interesting program is here.