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Smetana, B.: Orchestral Music, Vol. 2 (Bbc Philharmonic, Noseda) - The Bartered Bride (Excerpts) / 2 Widows (Excerpts) / The Devil's Wall (Excerpts)

6/30/2009, 15 Tracks, 1:12:34

Featuring

  • Gianandrea Noseda
  • BBC Philharmonic
  • Bedřich Smetana

Did you know?

1/7

Recording & Production

This album was recorded using 24-bit technology, which offers a dynamic range up to 48 dB greater and 256 times the resolution of standard 16-bit recordings.

Source: Booklet

Performer Biography

Gianandrea Noseda, the conductor on this album, became the first foreign Principal Guest Conductor at the Mariinsky Theatre (Kirov Opera) in St Petersburg in 1997.

Source: Booklet

Composition History

Smetana's opera Libuše was designed as a 'festival' opera for solemn national events, initially intended for Emperor Franz Josef's coronation as King of the Bohemians.

Source: Booklet

Cultural Impact

The three dances from Smetana's opera The Bartered Bride were hugely influential on later Czech composers, including Antonín Dvořák, who played viola in the orchestra at their premiere.

Source: Booklet

Critical Reception

Smetana's opera The Two Widows, a sparkling comedy, was admired for its comic pacing by Richard Strauss.

Source: Booklet

Composer's Artistic Vision

Smetana's operas contain a wealth of orchestral music, including numerous dances, to accommodate the enthusiasm of Czech audiences in the 1860s and 1870s for ballet.

Source: Booklet

Composition History

Smetana's first opera, The Brandenburgers in Bohemia, won a competition to encourage opera composition for the Prague Provisional Theatre.

Source: Booklet

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©℗ 2009 Chandos