Today I'm coming up against one of those weird paradoxes that strike from time to time when you set out to shine a light on the hidden treasures. The composer in this case is a well-known name, yet much (perhaps most) of his output is unknown outside his home country. The opera in question is the most successful of his operas, and many music lovers will instantly recognize its overture and the three lively dances contained in the score. Yet few will have ever made the acquaintance of the rest of the opera, and it's their loss.
The Bartered Bride was the second opera Bedrĭch Smetana composed. His first was serious, and he certainly didn't escape from the charge of being too heavily influenced by Wagner. (But then, very few composers of that day did escape the overwhelming influence of the Master of Bayreuth!) Smetana made a conscious decision to make his second opera a comedy, a tale of the ordinary people and of village life, heavily laced with folk-like melody and dance.
The libretto tells a typically convoluted tale of young love, overbearing parents, and tricks of hidden and mistaken identities, which eventually resolves with the young couple overcoming all obstacles to their marriage. No real need to go into the details.
Anyone who is familiar with the fizzing overture and the energetic dances already knows some of the melodic substance of the remainder of the opera. The overture was, in the mode of its time, built up from melodies that would be heard within the opera to follow. Yet, so carefully and tightly did Smetana construct it that it stands beautifully on its own with or without the complete work -- which may explain in part why the opera is so rarely staged outside the Czech Republic! Suffice it to say that the opera as a whole does a masterly job of evoking the varying moods of the libretto, yet remains always tuneful, harmonious, and engaging to the listener.
Now, I actually have to admit that even I have not heard the complete opera yet. The recording I have at hand is a German translation with some cuts to the score. Whether these were committed by that editor and translator, or simply to bring the work down to a manageable length for LPs, I don't know. And yes, the recording is that old.
It was made in 1962 in Bamberg, Germany, with a roster of singers, most of whom are not familiar to me. However, the three key roles are taken by singers who were major stars of that period. As Hans, the romantic hero, you get Fritz Wunderlich, a lyric tenor with the kind of voice most singers can only dream of having (sadly, he died a few years later after a fall at the young age of 35). Marie, the heroine, is sung by Pilar Lorengar, with her usual clarity of tone and diction. And as Kecal, the marriage broker (a comic basso buffo role) we get the great German bass Gottlob Frick. With these three holding down the key parts, and with the magnificent Rudolf Kempe on the podium, the performance holds securely together with plenty of sparkle and energy.
The third act appearance of the troupe of comedians is the occasion for some genuine stage business. First of all, the entry march (although it was scored for several instruments) is played just by a piccolo and drums. Then, the subsequent speech by Springer, the leader of the comedians, is punctuated by some absolutely awful trumpet fanfares, replete with wrong notes, missed notes, and sputtering sounds. I'm sure the first trumpet of the Bamberg orchestra had a lot of fun with this scene! Gertrud Freedmann, the soprano who sings the role of the acrobat Esmeralda, manages a convincing Spanish accent when greeting the crowd with "Buenos dias", although the accent vanishes in her subsequent patter duet with Springer.
The comic keystone of the opera is the role of Wenzel, the shy, stuttering young man who is in line to marry Marie before Hans turns up. To stutter and stammer convincingly while singing is a singular accomplishment, and Karl-Ernst Mercker manages it very well -- so well, in fact, that I wouldn't be at all surprised to hear that the other great stutterer of comic opera, Dr. Blind in Die Fledermaus, was another of his specialty roles!
Throughout the opera, the numerous choral numbers are all sung with verve and precision by the RIAS Chamber Choir. Conductor Rudolf Kempe is as convincing in this lighter music as he was in such repertoire heavyweights as Lohengrin. All in all, a delightful re-release from EMI on 2 discs, and copies may still be available.
Only a few other complete recordings have ever been made, including one in English conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras which I have not heard. But given his success in other Czech repertoire, I'm sure it would make a good choice. That one is from Chandos Records, and available for download on their website.
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