Smetana - Die verkaufte Braut (The bartered Bride) - Popp, Jerusalem, Ridderbusch - Fischer 1982DVD9 - NTSC - 4:3 - All Regions - PCM, DTS 5.1 - German - 155min.
Subtitles: German, English, French, Spanish, Chinese
Deutsche Grammophon 07343609, released 2007
Performer: Lucia Popp (Marie); Siegfried Jerusalem (Hans); Karl Ridderbusch (Kezal); Heinz Zednik (Wenzel); Alfred Šramek (Kruschina); Gertrude Jahn (Katinka); Walter Fink (Micha); Czeslawa Slania (Agnes); Erich Kunz (Circus Master); Gabriele Sima (Esmeralda); Hans Christian (Muff)
Chor und Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper
Cond.: Adam Fischer
This Bartered Bride’s acting and singing is generally of a high level. Lucia Popp was caught at a perfect time for this role. She’d gradually been developing her voice into a larger, more dramatic instrument, and here displays a lyric’s warmth with the power of a spinto. She clearly enjoys the challenge of the only serious aria in the entire work (in act III; performed in German as “Wie fremd und tot”), providing many fine interpretative points and a great deal of tonal variety. The audience goes wild, as well they might. I’ve heard nothing elsewhere to match it, even from Pilar Lorengar in the celebrated 1962 recording.
Siegfried Jerusalem is nearly as good, his voice bright and soaring, if not quite as beautiful in tone as Wunderlich or Dvorský. Heinz Zednik plays up Wenzel’s stuttering, as usual, but sings decently and tones down the simpleton a bit. Karl Ridderbusch’s Kezal is sonorous and always busy, a large, fully conceived character that skirts hamming without quite going over the line. (Your mileage may vary on this one.) Another treat is the appearance of Erich Kunz as the Circus Master. He joined the Vienna State Opera in 1940, and quickly became one of its most internationally famous singing actors, as well as a great local favorite. Of course, he departs almost entirely from the written dialogue in his address to the stage audience, with some scripted and some ad-libbed humor. His impeccable timing, precision of gesture, and comic sense are a delight. --FANFARE: Barry Brenesal
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