The Bartered Bride1981 Czech
Supraphon; 138 minutes
Featuring Gabriela Benackova and Peter Dvorsky
I know it has been ages since I posted on here. Time just seems to have been flying! For this post, I decided to feature the 1981 Czech TV film of Smetana's "Prodana Nevesta", which features Gabriela Benackova and Peter Dvorsky in the starring roles of Marenka and Jenik. This is a filmed-for-TV movie, traditional staging an costumes. The soundtrack was prerecorded and the sets are full studio sets (no orchestra is seen). If you are not a fan of Smetana, "The Bartered Bride", and/or the stars, then this would probably drag on a bit. It is very stagy, and and Smetana does tend to repeat lines in this opera. However, the singing is simply fantastic! Gabriela Benackova and Peter Dvorsky are hailed as two of the leading Czech opera interpreters and this certainly shows why. There arias and duet in Act 1 are simply gorgeous. Their acting is subtle, somewhat stage-like, but very good. They never make you feel like they are not the characters that they are playing. The supporting cast is very good and well sung. The costumes are colourful and very traditional. The cinematography is very stiff feeling and adds to the stagy look. However, Gabriela Benackova and Peter Dvorsky make this worth viewing.
Supraphon; 138 minutes
Featuring Gabriela Benackova and Peter Dvorsky
I know it has been ages since I posted on here. Time just seems to have been flying! For this post, I decided to feature the 1981 Czech TV film of Smetana's "Prodana Nevesta", which features Gabriela Benackova and Peter Dvorsky in the starring roles of Marenka and Jenik. This is a filmed-for-TV movie, traditional staging an costumes. The soundtrack was prerecorded and the sets are full studio sets (no orchestra is seen). If you are not a fan of Smetana, "The Bartered Bride", and/or the stars, then this would probably drag on a bit. It is very stagy, and and Smetana does tend to repeat lines in this opera. However, the singing is simply fantastic! Gabriela Benackova and Peter Dvorsky are hailed as two of the leading Czech opera interpreters and this certainly shows why. There arias and duet in Act 1 are simply gorgeous. Their acting is subtle, somewhat stage-like, but very good. They never make you feel like they are not the characters that they are playing. The supporting cast is very good and well sung. The costumes are colourful and very traditional. The cinematography is very stiff feeling and adds to the stagy look. However, Gabriela Benackova and Peter Dvorsky make this worth viewing.
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