The first opera by Bohuslav Martinů The Soldier and the Dancer, H 162 which came into being between 1926 and 1927 ranks among remarkable opera opuses of the 20th century. like in all his other operas, Martinů tried for a new form reminiscent of a live musical theater. The libretto of the opera written by J. L. Löwenbach (pen name J. L. Budín) is based on the text of Plautus's comedy Pseudolus the Fox in the form of an operatic revue combining a story from Antiquity with modern features, including the principle of theater in theater and a play within a play. Its overall atmosphere is close, for example, to the playful poetics of plays of the Liberated Theater. The musical language of the opera employs both Neo-Classical and jazz elements, including subtle opera parody and the grotesque.
The premiere took place on May 5, 1928, at the National Theater in Brno, directed by Ota Zítek and conducted by František Neumann. The leading roles were played by Antonín Pelz as Kalidorus, Zdeněk Otava as Pseudolus, Jaroslav Čihák as Bambula, and Alexandra Čvanová as Fenicie.
Jaroslav Mihule, Martinů: Osud skladatele, Prague: Karolinum, 2002, p. 146–147.
Jiří Nekvasil, programme of the Bohuslav Martinů Festival's concert, December 15, 2000