“The Good Soldier Schweik”
Matthew DiBattista, center, as Schweik, and members of the cast. Photo by Keith Ian Polakoff When brilliant composers die young, whether it’s Bizet or Gershwin and especially Mozart, people wonder what they might have accomplished had they lived longer. Robert Kurka died in 1957, at age 35, before the premiere of his sole opera, “The Good Soldier Schweik,” which was commissioned and performed by New York City Opera. It’s based on the 1923 novel of the same name by Jaroslav Hasek, an author who also died young – at age 39 – having completed just four of the projected six parts of the book. “The Good Soldier Schweik” is an anti-war satire that reflects the author’s own experiences during World War I, in particular that of fighting for a cause that isn’t near and dear – in this case precipitated by the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria. Schweik is an Everyman, somewhat calmly wandering from one calamity or sticky situation to another, and we never know for sure if he’s a little soft in the head or blissfully optimistic that things will work out in the end. In a way, he’s the focusless focal point, and in Long Beach Opera’s production he’s performed by the much talented…
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