Smetana, Bedrich - Bartered Bride (The) - Belohlávek, Jirí

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Comic Opera in three acts to a libretto by Karel Sabina [sung in Czech]

Marenka - Dana Buresová
Kecal - Jozsef Benci
Krusina - Svotapluk Sem
Ludmilla - Stanislava Jirku
Vasek - Ales Vorácek
Ringmaster - Jaroslav Brezina
Esmeralda - Katerina Knezíková
Indian - Ondrej Mráz
Háta - Lucie Hilscherová
Micha - Gustáv Belácek
First Child - Maxim Dusek
Second Child - Babette Rust
BBC Singers
BBC Symphony Orchestra / Jirí Belohlávek

"Smetana's great comedy about the marriage market is hard to beat if done properly. The score's inventiveness never ceases to astonish, but it is also remarkably easy to misjudge its tone. Underplay its dark implications, and the opera can seem flippant. Overdo its sombre side, however, and things feel incongruous and strained. It was consequently a treat to hear a performance that got the tricky balance absolutely right.

That it did so was largely due to its authenticity. The BBC Symphony Orchestra and BBC Singers were conducted by Jirí Belohlávek, and the soloists, down to the bit parts, were all Czech or Slovak - singers who, quite simply, have the work in their systems in ways western European performers rarely do.