Smetana: The Bartered Bride (Wiener Staatsoper)

Plot: Every bar bubbles with the spirit of the Bohemian countryside in Otto Checnk's picturesque 1982 production from Vienna, where Smetana's comic masterpiece first conquered the heart of opera lovers with its lilting melodies, lovable characters and rousing Czech folk dances. This colourful, beautifully sung performance features legendary Czech soprano Lucia Popp and German tenor Siegfried Jerusalem. Filmed live at the Wiener Staatsoper in 1982, the appearance of the townsfolk, wearing their traditional Bohemian costumes, exuberantly singing and dancing, serves to quickly draw us into the early 1870s and this engaging comedy of love nearly thwarted but ultimately triumphant.