Overture: The Bartered Bride

Although it took Smetana more than four years to get The Bartered Bride into shape - the original two-act version was first performed in 1866, the final three-act version in 1870 - the overture was ready from the start, even before the first act itself. It is as though, in writing an overture of such extroardinary vitality, he was setting himself a challenge to create a comic opera that would be no less exciting and at the same time no less true to the spirit of Czech folk music. So the overture begins with an arresting flourish, goes straight into a brilliant fugue, bounces into a syncopated dance, and is deflected into an effective lyrical contrast without even pausing for breath. Sustained by an inexhaustible supply of energy, it all adds up to one of the most inspired works of its kind. Whether the opera itelf actually lives up to its overture is another question.