'Vanda' (Wanda) is a grand opera in five acts by Antonín Dvorák which was premiered at the 'Provisional Theatre' in Prague on 17 April 1876. The story is about the Polish queen, Princess Wanda, who drowns herself in the Vistula river in order to save her people from the German invaders. Due to their uneven invention and libretti, and perhaps also their staging requirements most of Dvorák's opera's are not played with any frequency outside the Czech Republic. The overture of 'Wanda', however, has conquered a place in the concert repertoire. It's a sparkling overture in Dvorak's typical style and sometimes sounds like one of his a 'Slavonic Dances'.