Amazon.com Living at a time of political upheaval, Bedrich Smetana (1824-1884) was caught up in the European nationalist movement and became the first nationalist Czech composer; his most famous work is "Má vlást" (My Homeland). Of his six operas, three celebrate patriotic heroes, three, Bohemian village life; among the latter is the "Bartered Bride," his best known opera and surely one of the most delightful ever written. The story recounts the triumph of true love over the threat of a forced marriage, arranged by that icon of country life: the marriage broker. These matchmakers created connections between the marriageable youth of distant villages; originally respected and esteemed as shrewd judges of character, they gradually succumbed to greed and ambition and became popular laughing-stocks. Smetana and his librettist Karel Sabina depict their broker as an arrogant, overbearing, money-obsessed blusterer brought down by a young lover's wily ingenuity. Comedy is tinged by pathos when the prospective bridegroom turns out to be a dimwitted stutterer; Smetana makes him an object not of fun but pity. The music is irresistible, full of heartfelt lyricism, tenderness and humor; though it harbors Wagnerian influences like motives recurring at crucial points, the folksong-like simplicity of its beguiling melodies and the idiomatic rhythms of its dances (often heard in concert) reveal its Czech roots. The reason that Smetana's other operas have been so sadly neglected is undoubtedly linguistic rather than musical: Czech is a language not widely used and very difficult to translate (for example, "yes" is a two-syllable word). This opera's Czech title literally means "The Sold Bride," which sounds bad in English, but not in German, so Max Kalbeck's translation, used in this 1963 recording, retains it. The re-issue is remarkably good; there are a few cuts, perhaps to accommodate the old LP format. The performance is wonderful: Lorengar and Wunderlich are fabulous, Frick is properly comic but often not properly on pitch. Among the minor roles, Mercker stands out. The orchestral playing is excellent, brilliant, clear, expressive and idiomatic. --Edith Eisler, ISBN13:B000PKG5EK ISBN10:B000PKG5EK Material Type:audioCD