ENSEMBLE DAMIAN: La Dafne

Ensemble Damian presents the neo-Baroque opera La Dafne, considered the first opera in history. It was created around 1598 in Florence within the circle of the Florentine Camerata, which sought to revive ancient drama through the monody of that era. Only the libretto by Ottavio Rinuccini survives, inspired by the myth of Apollo and Daphne from Ovid's Metamorphoses — a story of Apollo's unrequited love for a nymph who transforms into a laurel tree to escape him.

The new musical composition was created by Vít Zouhar and Tomáš Hanzlík at the initiative of director Rocc; the premiere took place in 2011 at the National Theatre Brno. In 2026, Ensemble Damian decided to restage the opera with a new cast.

Direction: Rocc / musical preparation: Tomáš Hanzlík / costumes: Vendula Johnová / mime: Sergej Sanža / orchestra: Martin Smutný, Marek Kubát, Bernat Izard / singers: Kamila Škrachová, Dorota Grossová, Martin Ptáček, Arnau Petřivalský, Pavel Maška