Bringing Legends to Life: Weinberger's 'Švanda the Bagpiper'
THE INTRO
THE HIT SINGLE: "Dorotka, Stop Weeping"
The opera's best known vocal moment may be the gentle duet that ends Act One. Dorotka (soprano Marjorie Owens) is grieving at the loss of Švanda, blaming her own jealousy, while Babinsky (tenor Ladislav Elgr) consoles her, pledging to enter the underworld and bring Švanda home.
THE B SIDE: "Polka"
The one number from "Švanda …" that's heard most often outside the opera is the buoyant Polka from the second scene of the first act, which often turns up on orchestral pops concerts.