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Bedřich
SMETANA (1824-1884)
Orchestral Works - Volume 2
The
Bartered Bride:
Overture, Polka (Act I Finale), Furiant, Skocna (Dance of the Comedians)
(1865, rev. 1869) [20:21]
The
Secret: Overture (1877-78) [6:31]
Libuše: Prelude (1881) [9:38]
The
Devil’s Wall: Prelude, Infernal Dance (1882) [6:54]
The
Brandenburgers in Bohemia: Prelude, Act I Ballet (1863) [3:08]
The
Kiss: Overture (1876) [5:50]
Dalibor: Entr’acte (1868) [6:05]
The
Two Widows:
Overture, Prelude to Act II, Polka from Act II (1874) [13:14]
BBC Philharmonic/Gianandrea Noseda
rec.
Studio 7, BBC Broadcasting House, Manchester, UK, 4, 7-8 October
2008. DDD
CHANDOS CHAN10518 [72:33] |
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As noted above, this is the second volume of a new Chandos series
of the orchestral works of Bedřich Smetana. The first volume,
which I have not heard, contains the composer’s less well-known
symphonic poems, while the one under review is made up of opera
excerpts. As with the first volume, the great majority of the
works presented here will be unknown to most listeners. Although
Smetana’s operas are performed often in the Czech
Republic, only The Bartered Bride
is performed with any regularity outside the composer’s homeland.
The four excerpts from that opera that appear on this disc are
probably the best known of all of Smetana’s works, except for
perhaps the Moldau (Vltava) from Má Vlast. For the other selections, Noseda more or less
has the field to himself. How do his Bartered Bride excerpts
stack up against the formidable competition? Well, first of all,
they are very well performed here and recorded with much brilliance.
That said, there is something missing, some element of earthiness
that can be found in almost any Czech recording. Comparing them
with the same selections from the recording of the opera by Košler
and his Czech forces on Supraphon shows the superiority of the
native Czechs who bring out the sheer charm of the music in the
way that, for all the virtuosity of the BBC Philharmonic, Noseda
cannot or does not. His performances are certainly exciting enough,
but also a little slick. There is one feature in the Skocna
that I find particularly irritating: the cymbal and bass-drum
crash before the string theme at 0:04 and 0:12 and later in the
piece as well. Before hearing this performance, I was not at all
aware that there was such a part in the score. On the Košler recording
it is barely audible and comes on (or immediately before) the
first note in the strings. Noseda has a very loud crash and then
a slight pause before launching into the theme. No matter how
often I have listened to this I find it overdone and unnecessary.
The
remainder of this disc contains music that many fans of Smetana
will rarely, if ever, have heard. With few exceptions, the
works are stamped with Smetana’s identity and bring real pleasure.
They whet one’s appetite to hear the whole operas from which
they are taken. The Overture to The Secret is very
dramatic with a fugal section in the middle. The Prelude to
Libuše is a celebratory affair that begins with
brass fanfares accompanied by timpani. Czech music specialist
Jan Smaczny in his excellent booklet note accompanying the
CD likens this fanfare to the introduction opening Janáček’s
Glagolitic Mass - presumably the Úvod movement
of the published version and not the Intrada of the reconstructed
original. I can certainly see where he might think that, as
I have thought the opening of Dvořák’s Te Deum also
anticipated that great twentieth-century choral work. It must
be something in the Czech blood! After this, the selections
from The Devil’s Wall may seem less consequential,
but are nevertheless colorful and interesting. While the short
Prelude and Act I Ballet from The Brandenburgers in Bohemia,
Smetana’s first opera, do seem like small potatoes after the
previous extracts, the Overture to The Kiss more than
makes up for any shortcomings in that earlier work. This is
the Smetana we all know and love from The Bartered Bride
and Má Vlast with its gleeful piccolo part before ending
with music reminiscent of The Moldau. The Entr’acte
from Dalibor, on the other hand, is very subdued
and begins with a cello solo that would not be out of place
in Weber’s Invitation to the Dance. The CD concludes
with three delightful selections from The Two Widows.
Although all three are vintage Smetana, each also reminds
me of another composer: The Overture is rather reminiscent
of both Schumann and Mendelssohn, while the Prelude to Act
II has a bit of Gilbert and Sullivan about it. The second
theme of the Polka, which once heard, lingers — you’ll find
yourself humming it — is a close cousin to Johann Strauss
Sr.’s Radetzky March. This is not to diminish the authenticity
of any of this music, which will raise one’s spirits on the
darkest of days and help to keep a smile on your face. Credit
for this is not only due to Smetana’s genius, but also to
the way Noseda and the BBC Philharmonic carry it off. Unlike
the familiar music from The Bartered Bride, they are
not up against any real competition here. They impart a real
joyousness to this music and the recorded sound is up to Chandos’
usual high standards.
I
can, thus, heartily welcome this disc especially for the unfamiliar
works it contains. Even without the excerpts from The Bartered
Bride this CD is a worthy addition to the Smetana discography.
Leslie Wright
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