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Jiri Belohlavek, BBC SO, BBC Singers - Smetana: The Bartered Bride (2012) [Official Digital Download]

Posted By: HDV
Jiri Belohlavek, BBC SO, BBC Singers - Smetana: The Bartered Bride (2012) [Official Digital Download]

Jiří Bělohlávek, BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Singers - Smetana: The Bartered Bride (2012)
FLAC (tracks) 24-bit/48 kHz | Time - 136:17 minutes | 1,39 GB
Studio Master, Official Digital Download | Artwork: Digital booklet

After his symphonic poem Má vlast, Smetana’s The Bartered Bride, is arguably his most popular work. This recording, issued by Harmonia Mundi, is taken from a live concert performance at The Barbican in May 2011, and leaves one in no doubt as to why Jirí Belohlávek has made the Czech repertoire such a splendid calling card during his tenure as Chief Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

Jirí Belohlávek is not a flamboyant conductor who has the audience stamping and cheering, but his musical integrity and love of his native music shines through every note and phrase. The effect on the orchestra and cast is truly palpable. He wisely surrounds himself with a Czech cast, who inhabit their native idiom with a natural fluency, adding greatly to the lively sparkle that prevails throughout. To Western ears, the Czech language may sound like emptying bathwater, but in indigenous hands it bounces along delightfully. This is never more so than in the rapid passages of Kecal, the scheming, bureaucratic marriage broker, sung by Jozsef Benci, whose rich, plummy bass, trips the light fantastic like a seasoned Gilbert & Sullivan patterer. And my, how he relishes his long, bottom notes, like a sonorous yawn down a storm drain.
All the principal singers excel. Dana Buresová’s Marenka soars into the heavens with astounding force and clarity, her top notes ablaze with intensity. She is equally matched by Tomás Juhás as Jenik her lover. He is certainly no Wagnerian heldentenor, and there may be some who find his brittle, nasal tone a bit irritating, but in vocal terms he is the perfect foil to Dana Buresová’s hard-edged brilliance. Ales Vorácek’s performance as the naïve, stuttering simpleton Vašek, is a masterpiece of characterization, giving poignancy and depth where it is so often portrayed as caricature; his stammer is beautifully executed and very touching.
However, the real accolades rest firmly on Jirí Belohlávek’s shoulders. The Bartered Bride may be a comic opera with farcical moments but it has other, darker hues as well, and getting the balance right is very tricky. Belohlávek pulls this off in spades. Much of the action occurs outside, i.e. the village green, and Belohlávek’s rhythmic drive, neither forceful nor plodding, gives everything a tangy, open-air freshness. Whilst the tender, more intimate moments are lovingly sculpted, the overall effect is one of infectious, bouncy joy. The BBC Symphony Orchestra are clearly in thrall to their outgoing Chief Conductor and play with their hearts nailed to the village May pole – never before have I heard such a penetrating, iridescent piccolo. Played in one sitting and you have a classic romantic opera-fest, performed with wit, exuberance, and great élan.

Tracklist:

CD1 #01 - Overture
CD1 #02 - ACT I, Scene 1. Sbor Proc bychom se netesili
CD1 #03 - ACT I, Scene 2. Marenka Tak tedy prece se to stati ma?
CD1 #04 - ACT I, Marenka Kdybych se co takoveho
CD1 #05 - ACT I, Marenka Konecne je cela
CD1 #06 - ACT I, Jenik, Marenka Jako matka pozehnanim
CD1 #07 - ACT I, Scene 3. Kecal Jak vam pravim
CD1 #08 - ACT I, Krusina Ovsem, Tobiase Michu znam uz od detstvi
CD1 #09 - ACT I, Kecal Mladik slusny a mravu vic tichych
CD1 #10 - ACT I, Scene 4. Krusina, Ludmila, Kecal Tu ji mame
CD1 #11 - ACT I, Marenka Jenik neupusti, to vim
CD1 #12 - ACT I, Scene 5. Kecal Ach, jak svet je zvaceny
CD1 #13 - ACT II, Scene 1. Sbor To pivecko to veru je nebesky dar
CD1 #14 - ACT II, Furiant
CD1 #15 - ACT II, Scene 2. Vasek Ma… ma… ma… maticka
CD1 #16 - ACT II, Scene 3. Marenka Vy jste zajiste zenich Krusinovy Marenky?
CD1 #17 - ACT II, Marenka Znsmt ja jednu divcinu

CD2 #01 - ACT II, Scene 4. Kecal Jak pravim, hezka je
CD2 #02 - ACT II, Kecal Nuze, miy chasniku
CD2 #03 - ACT II, Kecal Odreknes-li se Marenky
CD2 #04 - ACT II, Scene 5. Jenik Az uzris, komus
CD2 #05 - ACT II, Scene 6. Kecal Podte, lidicky
CD2 #06 - ACT III, Scene 1. Vasek To… to mi v hlave le… lezi
CD2 #07 - ACT III, Scene 2. Pochod Komediantu
CD2 #08 - ACT III, Principal Ohlasujeme slavnemu publikum
CD2 #09 - ACT III, Skocna
CD2 #10 - ACT III, Vasek Je… je… je… je, to bude hezke
CD2 #11 - ACT III, Principal, Esmeralda Milostne zviratko
CD2 #12 - ACT III, Scene 3. Vasek Oh, ja ne… nestastny!
CD2 #13 - ACT III, Hata, Kecal, Micha Aj, jakze? Jakze?
CD2 #14 - ACT III, Scene 4. Marenka Ne, tomu neverim
CD2 #15 - ACT III, Scene 5. Vasek Co… co porade chcete?
CD2 #16 - ACT III, Vsichni Rozmysli si, Marenko, rozmysli
CD2 #17 - ACT III, Scene 6. Marenka Oh, jaky zal!
CD2 #18 - ACT III, Scene 7. Jenik Marenko ma, Marenko ma
CD2 #19 - ACT III, Scene 8. Kecal Hle, hle! Chasniku, cekas uz na penize?
CD2 #20 - ACT III, Jenik Utis se, divko, utis se
CD2 #21 - ACT III, Scene 9. Sbor Jak jsi se, Marenko, rozmyslila?
CD2 #22 - ACT III, Scene 10. Jeden Kluk Spaste dusi!
CD2 #23 - ACT III, Vasek Ne… ne… nebojte se!
CD2 #24 - ACT III, Sbor Doba vec se podarila

Mařenka - Dana Burešová, soprano
Jenik - Tomáš Juhás, tenor
Kecal - Jozef Benci, bass
Vašek - Aleš Voráček, tenor
Mícha - Gustáv Beláček, bass
Háta - Lucie Hilscherová, mezzo-soprano
Krušina - Svatopluk Sem, baritone
Ludmila - Stanislava Jirků, mezzo-soprano
Ringmaster - Jaroslav Březina, tenor
Esmeralda - Kateřina Kněžiková, soprano
Indian - Ondrej Mráz, bass
First Child - Maxim Dusek, treble
Second Child - Babette Rust, soprano

BBC Singers - Chorus Master: Andrew Griffiths
BBC Symphony Orchestra - Conductor: Jiří Bělohlávek


Analyzed: Dana Burešová, Tomáš Juhás, Jozef Benci, Aleš Voráček, Gustáv Beláček, BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Singers, Jiří Bělohlávek / Smetana: The Bartered Bride
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
DR14 -2.51 dB -22.01 dB 6:35 01-Overture
DR14 -0.40 dB -18.91 dB 8:03 02-ACT I, Scene 1. Sbor Proc bychom se netesili
DR15 -5.28 dB -26.63 dB 1:20 03-ACT I, Scene 2. Marenka Tak tedy prece se to stati ma?
DR15 -0.54 dB -22.22 dB 3:43 04-ACT I, Marenka Kdybych se co takoveho
DR14 -6.20 dB -26.71 dB 0:43 05-ACT I, Marenka Konecne je cela
DR15 -3.57 dB -24.24 dB 5:56 06-ACT I, Jenik, Marenka Jako matka pozehnanim
DR14 -1.88 dB -21.74 dB 4:59 07-ACT I, Scene 3. Kecal Jak vam pravim
DR15 -6.18 dB -27.90 dB 0:51 08-ACT I, Krusina Ovsem, Tobiase Michu znam uz od detstvi
DR14 -1.60 dB -22.89 dB 3:42 09-ACT I, Kecal Mladik slusny a mravu vic tichych
DR15 -0.43 dB -21.49 dB 5:04 10-ACT I, Scene 4. Krusina, Ludmila, Kecal Tu ji mame
DR13 -1.90 dB -23.50 dB 1:51 11-ACT I, Marenka Jenik neupusti, to vim
DR11 -0.14 dB -16.96 dB 4:44 12-ACT I, Scene 5. Kecal Ach, jak svet je zvaceny
DR13 -0.67 dB -17.77 dB 5:08 13-ACT II, Scene 1. Sbor To pivecko to veru je nebesky dar
DR14 -1.41 dB -20.91 dB 2:15 14-ACT II, Furiant
DR14 -7.52 dB -26.33 dB 2:18 15-ACT II, Scene 2. Vasek Ma… ma… ma… maticka
DR15 -6.66 dB -27.57 dB 1:21 16-ACT II, Scene 3. Marenka Vy jste zajiste zenich Krusinovy Marenky?
DR15 -2.77 dB -23.47 dB 5:55 17-ACT II, Marenka Znsmt ja jednu divcinu
DR14 -5.57 dB -25.45 dB 0:39 01-ACT II, Scene 4. Kecal Jak pravim, hezka je
DR14 -2.03 dB -23.04 dB 7:50 02-ACT II, Kecal Nuze, miy chasniku
DR15 -4.46 dB -26.31 dB 3:10 03-ACT II, Kecal Odreknes-li se Marenky
DR12 -6.85 dB -24.92 dB 3:04 04-ACT II, Scene 5. Jenik Az uzris, komus
DR11 -0.30 dB -17.40 dB 4:25 05-ACT II, Scene 6. Kecal Podte, lidicky
DR13 -5.84 dB -25.78 dB 3:34 06-ACT III, Scene 1. Vasek To… to mi v hlave le… lezi
DR12 -10.79 dB -31.08 dB 0:32 07-ACT III, Scene 2. Pochod Komediantu
DR16 -5.71 dB -28.04 dB 1:28 08-ACT III, Principal Ohlasujeme slavnemu publikum
DR13 -0.58 dB -18.90 dB 5:50 09-ACT III, Skocna
DR15 -5.52 dB -26.21 dB 4:31 10-ACT III, Vasek Je… je… je… je, to bude hezke
DR14 -3.18 dB -21.71 dB 1:44 11-ACT III, Principal, Esmeralda Milostne zviratko
DR14 -6.28 dB -26.79 dB 1:03 12-ACT III, Scene 3. Vasek Oh, ja ne… nestastny!
DR14 -0.76 dB -21.31 dB 2:35 13-ACT III, Hata, Kecal, Micha Aj, jakze? Jakze?
DR14 -2.68 dB -25.32 dB 4:09 14-ACT III, Scene 4. Marenka Ne, tomu neverim
DR12 -2.59 dB -19.97 dB 1:06 15-ACT III, Scene 5. Vasek Co… co porade chcete?
DR13 -3.52 dB -26.06 dB 3:44 16-ACT III, Vsichni Rozmysli si, Marenko, rozmysli
DR14 -3.81 dB -23.99 dB 5:48 17-ACT III, Scene 6. Marenka Oh, jaky zal!
DR15 -0.84 dB -21.51 dB 4:16 18-ACT III, Scene 7. Jenik Marenko ma, Marenko ma
DR13 -5.49 dB -24.31 dB 1:09 19-ACT III, Scene 8. Kecal Hle, hle! Chasniku, cekas uz na penize?
DR15 -4.68 dB -24.99 dB 3:10 20-ACT III, Jenik Utis se, divko, utis se
DR12 -0.33 dB -18.03 dB 4:57 21-ACT III, Scene 9. Sbor Jak jsi se, Marenko, rozmyslila?
DR14 -10.51 dB -27.47 dB 0:15 22-ACT III, Scene 10. Jeden Kluk Spaste dusi!
DR14 -6.09 dB -27.37 dB 0:39 23-ACT III, Vasek Ne… ne… nebojte se!
DR9 -0.03 dB -15.57 dB 2:08 24-ACT III, Sbor Doba vec se podarila
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Number of tracks: 41
Official DR value: DR14

Samplerate: 48000 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 24
Bitrate: 1437 kbps
Codec: FLAC
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Thanks to the Original customer!