josef svoboda considered himself a scenographer rather than a designer; he chose to show a more holistic, architectural, non-naturalistic approach to design. his 700-plus designs include "insect comedy" (czech national theatre, 1946); "rusalka" (teatro la fenice, venice, 1958); "carmen" (metropolitan opera, new york city, 1972); "the firebird" (royal danish theatre, copenhagen, 1972); "i vespri siliciani" (metropolitan opera, 1974); "jumpers" (kennedy center, 1974), many of them realized together with the opera director václav kašlík.