Search - Torchinsky :: Smetana: Music from the Bartered Bride; The Two Widows; The Devil's Wall

Consistently lively, engaging and exciting

Larry VanDeSande | Mason, Michigan United States | 08/31/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Outside of "The Bartered Bride," not many people have heard, or heard of, the operas of Czech composer Bedrich Smetana (1824-84), who tried during his lifetime to forge a new model of Czech nationalism with Dvorak and others. This recording of orchestral excerpts from his operas by Gianandrea Noseda and the BBC Philharmonic will go some distance to fill that gap for interested listeners.



Over the past few years, Noseda and Chandos have been engaged in both Smetana and Liszt projects, recording Smetana's three Lisztian "Swedish" tone poems Smetana: Orchestral Works, Vol. 1 as well as five recordings of music from Liszt himself. I haven't been able to get completley on board with Noseda's mercurial style in prior recordings but give full marks for commitment, exctiement and idiomatic engagement here. This is the best recording I've heard from Noseda and the BBC orchestra since they recorded Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5 for BBC Magazine in 2002 (http://www.amazon.com/Symphony-No-5-War-and-Peace/dp/B000JKI88M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1253880241&sr=1-1).



The highlights of this recording are plentiful. Noseda infects the dance of the comedians from "The Bartered Bride" with unusual elan using timpani and cymbals to underpin the exctiement. A splendid brass chorale opens the beautiful prelude to "Libuse" before it transforms in Elgarian stateliness. Orchestral players have their day as a cellist, harpist and the woodwind section carry the moment in the entracte from "Dalibor." These are just three high points of an album full of such wondrous moments.



Here are the contents and their timings:



"The Bartered Bride"

1. Overture 6:26

2. Polka act 1 finale 5:20

3. Furiant 2:18

4. Dance of the comedians 6:05



5. Overture to "The Secret" 6:31



6. Prelude to "Libuse" 9:38



"The Devil's Wall"

7. Prelude 4:06

8. Infernal dance 2:43



"The Brandenburgers in Bohemia"

9. Prelude 0:48

10. Act 1 ballet 2:19



11. Overture to "The Kiss" 5:50



12. Entr'acte from "Dalibor" 6:05



"The Two Widows"

13. Overture 7:01

14. Prelude to act 2 2:23

15. Polka from act 2 3:42



TT: 72:33



A couple pages of good notes on the music and performers and sound better than Chandos's typical homogenized mass make this full price issue worth your money. Anyone wanting to know more about the composer of "Ma Vlast" Bedrich Smetana: Ma Vlast (My Country) should investigate this CD or download without delay. This is one of the best orchestral releases I've heard this year and will likely be on my best of 2009 list."