Opera
Format: CD
Code: 111914
EAN: 3838898111914
Foreign platforms:
Bedřich Smetana: EXCERPTS FROM THE OPERA
THE BARTERED BRIDE
Libretto: Karel Sabina
Krušina, a peasant: Vekoslav Janko – Baritone
Ludmila, his wife: Cvetka Ahlin – Mezzosoprano
Mařenka: Vilma Bukovec - Soprano
Jeník: Miro Brajnik - Tenor
Mícha, the landowner: Miro Dolničar – Baritone
Háta, his wife: Elza Karlovac – Alto
Vašek, their son: Janez Lipušček – Tenor
Kecal, the marriage broker: Ladko Korošec – Bass
Ringmaster: Slavko Štrukelj – Tenor
Esmeralda: Maruša Patik – Soprano
The Opera SNG Ljubljana Choir and Orchestra
Choirmaster: Jože Hanc
Conductor: RADO SIMONITI
Recorded at the Slovenian Philharmonic Hall, June, 1955
The roles from The Bartered Bride accompanied our distinguished soloists, comprising of Vilma Bukovec, Miro Brajnik, Ladko Korošec and Janez Lipušček throughout their successful careers.
All four have played in The Bartered Bride already at the beginning of their artistic careers, namely in the season of 1945/46. Janez Lipušček as Janko and years later also as Vašek, Vilma Bukovec as Mařenka, Ladko Korošec as Kecal and Miro Brajnik first as the Ringmaster, but he soon changed his role to play Janko. The Bartered Bride is undoubtedly the Slavic opera, which Rado Simonitti conducted with greater frequency than any other.
We probably aren't exaggerating by claiming that The Bartered Bride is the most popular opera in Slovenia. It has been performed in all three Slovene Opera Houses, in Ljubljana, Maribor and Trieste, where the Slovene Opera House blossomed for a short period of time in 1913 under the leadership of Mirko Polič.
The Bartered Bride probably achieved the greatest success with its Ljubljana performance in 1955 and with the performers, who are represented by a few excerpts taken from the opera on this CD.
The opera achieved no less than 130 repeats after the premiere. All three protagonists, Vilma Bukovec, Miro Brajnik and Ladko Korošec were at the time 35 years of age and in their prime as singers. In the cast at that time were also two "fathers", Vekoslav Janko and Miro Dolničar, motherly Elza Karlovac and for the role of Mařenka's mother a rather too young Cvetka Ahlin. Janez Lipušček as Vašek undoubtedly contributed greatly to the opera's success. We must not forget the lively Maruša Patik
as Esmeralda and "the best Ringmaster in the world", the thunderous Slavko Štrukej, whose trumpeted high pitched tones made the Ljubljana Opera House shake. The sound of the chorus regarding this performance, led by the energetic Jože Hanc, was magnificent and very convincing.
Peter Bedjanič
EXCERPTS:
1. Act 1, Introductory Scene
(Mařenka, Janko and chorus)
2. Mařenka's and Janko's Duet from Act 1
3. Mařenka's aria from Act 1
4. Trio Ludmila, Krušina and Kecal and Kecal's aria
5. Act 2, Introductory Scene
(Janko, Kecal and chorus)
6. Vašek's aria from Act 2
7. Mařenka's and Vašek's Duet
8. Janko's and Kecal's Duet (listen!)
9. Janko's aria
10. Act 2, Final Scene
(Janko, Kecal, Krušina and chorus)
11. Vašek's aria from Act 3
12. Mařenka's aria from Act 3
13. Esmeralda's and Ringmaster's Duet
14. The Final Scene of the Opera
