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So Chris’s Cache argues for its Met revival by offering two familiar brides in joyous live recordings: Pilar Lorengar in German and Gabriela Benackova in the original Czech.

The Met’s most recent Bride was a revival of the 1978 John Dexter production in the fall of 1996 starring Teresa Stratas, its original Marenka. Stratas, however, decided rather late in the day to withdraw from the Smetana, so her appearances as Jenny in Mahogonny in December 1995 proved to be her Met farewell. Gwynne Geyer, likely engaged as Stratas’s cover (always a good job), took over and was a fine Marenka, if without the star power that might have been generated by Stratas.

Bride-fans will know that both Lorengar and Benackova are featured in studio recordings of the opera, but my fondness for both the opera and those singers prompts me to offer today these delightful live broadcasts.

The Met could certainly use a comic opera in its tragedy-heavy repertoire and Smetana’s rich score could be just the solution.

Smetana: Der Verkaufte Braut

Marenka: Pilar Lorengar
Hans: Ernst Haefliger
Wenzel: Martin Vantin
Kezal: Josef Greindl

Conductor: Heinrich Hollreiser
Städtische Oper Berlin
17 December 1960
Broadcast

Smetana: Prodana Nevestana

Marenka: Gabriela Benackova
Jenik: Peter Dvorsky
Vasek: Miroslav Kopp
Kecal: Karel Hrusa

National Theatre (Prague) Choir and Orchestra
Conductor: Zdenek Kosler
Bolshoi Theater, Moscow
26 May 1985
Broadcast

Each Bride can be downloaded by clicking on the icon of a cloud with an arrow pointing downward on the audio player above and the resulting mp3 file will appear in your download directory.

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