In May 1876, even before the premiere of The Kiss, eliška Krásnohorská offered Smetana a subject that combined a story set in a folk environment with elements of fairy tale, magic, and superstition. The action was very complicated, and the material was not used, but certain motifs from it found their way into the libretto for their next opera together, The Secret. Like in The Bartered Bride, the story features two peasants with differing personalities. Atmosphere is provided by the mysterious surroundings of the ruins of old Bezděz Castle, and the plot’s various snares and pitfalls combine a realistic story with a tall tale. Old love amounts to a powerful motif. Somewhere below Bezděz Castle live two widowers, Kalina and Malina, who bear a mutual grudge for reasons lying in the distant past, when the poor man Kalina asked for the hand of Róza, the rich peasant Malina’s sister, but he was rejected by her family. He then married a poor girl, and because he was industrious and, above all, defiant, he managed to build a house, which is just about to be finished.

For Czech audiences, arias from The Bartered Bride, this jewel of Czech classical opera production from the pen of Bedřich Smetana, represent truly popular, indeed timeless tunes. Supraphon is now launching this famous comic opera back onto the market, in a version featuring star performances of international stars Gabriela Beňačková as Mařenka, Peter Dvorský as Jeník, and Richard Novák as Kecal. Playing on an equally brilliant form here was the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Zdeněk Košler, backed by the vocal forces of the Prague Philharmonic Choir.