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 Archive All articles in this series
Recent articles London Community Gospel Choir Live at Abbey Road CD and DVD The Police - Every Breath You Take DVD John Cage: Sonatas and Interludes Richard Strauss: Four Last Songs
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Building a classical library Smetana: The Bartered Bride Tim Ashley Friday May 5, 2000 The Guardian Premiered in 1866, The Bartered Bride put Czech music on the map. There's been a tendency, however, to misinterpret it - performances that ignore its dark undertow go wide of the mark. The Czech language, too, has proved a barrier to many singers, so most opera houses gave the work in German. Such was the case at Covent Garden in 1939, in a recording conducted with elan by Thomas Beecham with Richard Tauber's Jenik facing the dramatic Marenka of Hilde Konetzni. Rudolf Kempe's thoughtful version (EMI) pits Pilar Lorengar and Fritz Wunderlich against the imposing Kecal of Gottlob Frick; Jaroslav Krombhoic (RCA) drives the piece too hard. You really need to hear it in Czech, however, which means turning to Supraphon. Their best version is the most recent. It features the astonishing Gabriela Benackova as a lyrical, vulnerable Marenka. Peter Dvorsky is an outstanding Jenik, while Richard Novak's Kecal is subtler and more humane than most. Zdenek Kosler, conducting the Czech Philharmonic, gets the score's tricky emotional balance just right. Key Recording: Zdenek Kosler Supraphon 10 3511-2 (two CDs). | ||||||||||||
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