With Sir Charles Mackerras at the helm, Smetana's Bartered Bride not only has a spring in her step, she's several inches off the ground for much of the duration. Mackerras isn't just well-versed in ...

The Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra Of New York. side 1: The Bartered Bride: Overture (beginning); side 2: The Bartered Bride: Overture (conclusion) (Columbia 19003-D). North, James N.. New York ...

Sarah Scott finds The Bartered Bride at the Theatre Royal Newcastle entertaining and a good introduction to opera for newbies Opera North kicked off the latest season at the Theatre Royal with The ...

Although in The Bartered Bride Smetana largely avoided the direct quotation of folksong, the music he composed was considered to be Czech in spirit, meaning that he succeeded in his aim of creating a ...

The Czechiest features of The Bartered Bride – cornerstone of Czech opera and the first to go international after premiering in 1866 – are in the music rather than the story or setting. No accident: ...

Musically, Bedřich Smetana’s The Bartered Bride is marvellous, vivid, dance-infused work. In the second performance of the run, conductor Jac van Steen and the Philharmonia Orchestra were achieving ...

As if obeying starter's orders, Charles Mackerras tore into the overture of The Bartered Bride at breakneck speed, punching out Smetana's decisive rhythms and generating fiery, taut playing from the ...

Director Paul Curran transfers Smetana’s comic masterpiece to 1950s England to create an irresistibly energetic production A generation ago, Smetana’s comic masterpiece could still be billed as the ...

Petroc Trelawny introduces a concert given at the Barbican, London, with Ivan Zenaty (violin) and the BBC Symphony Orchestra under its chief conductor Jiri Belohlavek performing music from his native ...

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or ...

Comic operas rarely seem comic, but this overture's riotous tempo hints at a farcical story of frivolity. Smetana adds a dollop of Czech dances to the mix and cooks up a fun-filled feast.