Bartered Bride, The, B. 143: Three Dances (Prodana Nevesta): Full Orchestra, Conductor Score

With THE BARTERED BRIDE (PRODANÁ NEVESTA), B. 143, Bedrich Smetana (1824-1884) put Czech opera on the international map. Composed between 1863 and 1866, it was not immediately successful following its 1866 premiere at the Provisional Theatre in Prague on May 30. Performed in its final version, four years later, it achieved worldwide popularity. Set in a country village, the plot follows Jeník and his lover Marenka, opposing her parents who have a scheme to marry her off to the son of a rich landowner. The folk dances performed during the course of the opera, so vital to its depiction of rustic Bohemia, have been here arranged for this Kalmus edition in a set for orchestra, THREE DANCES, by Hugo Riesenfeld. Instrumentation: 2+Picc.2.2.2: 4.2.3.0: Timp.Perc(2-3): Pno(opt): Str (9.8.7.6.5 in set) (winds cross-cued for perf by smaller orchs).