Amongst the works of Bedřich Smetana, operas are at the forefront alongside the cycle of symphonic poems Má vlast as the linchpins of the composer’s creative legacy. Nine operas in all, the last being unfinished, demonstrate the composer’s dramatic talent and individuality. The history of the Supraphon label has seen the making of a series of Smetana opera recordings interpreted by generations of Czech singers who performed mainly on the stage of the Prague National Theatre. The first and only time Smetana’s operas were published as a complete set on LP by Supraphon was within a vast four-part project covering Smetana’s complete works released in the Year of Czech Music between 1984 and 1985. This representative set contained the recordings dating from the 1960s through the 1980s, but with the exception of The Bartered Bride, they are not currently available on the market as a physical product. To the still unsurpassed recording of The Bartered Bride and The Secret under the baton of Zdeněk Košler, we are adding his exceptional 1983 production of Libuše for the reopening of the Prague National Theatre. We are also including the only Supraphon recording of The Brandenburgers in Bohemia led by Jan Hus Tichý, Zdeněk Chalabala’s still definitive reading of The Devil’s Wall, and Dalibor conducted by Jaroslav Krombholc. The luxurious 17-CD box contains seven separately packaged 2-CD sets plus one 3-CD set with detailed information about the individual operas, a 40-page booklet with a comprehensive study, a wealth of photographic documentation, and a link to the downloadable librettos in the Czech and English languages. The newly digitally transferred and remastered recordings also faithfully capture the sound of the Czech Smetana tradition when heard using digital Hi-Res quality playback.

A complete edition of Smetana’s operas for the first time on CD on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of Smetana’s birth.

Contents:

Braniboři v Čechách / The Brandenburgers in Bohemia (1964)
- Kalaš / Joran / Žídek / Vích / Šubrtová / Fidlerová / Soukupová / Haken
- Prague National Theatre Chorus and Orchestra / Jan Hus Tichý
Recorded at the Domovina Studio, Prague, 16 February–6 March, 1963

Prodaná nevěsta / The Bartered Bride (1982)
- Beňačková / Dvorský / Novák / Kopp
- Prague Philharmonic Choir / Czech Philharmonic Orchestra / Zdeněk Košler
Recorded at the Rudolfinum, Prague, 18 December 1980–16 February 1981

Dalibor (1968)
- Přibyl / Kniplová / Jindrák / Svobodová-Janků / Horáček / Švehla
- Prague National Theatre Chorus and Orchestra / Jaroslav Krombholc
Recorded at the Domovina studio, Prague, 9–21 September, 1967

Libuše (1983)
- Beňačková / Zítek / Švorc / Vodička / Děpoltová / Soukupová
- Prague National Theatre Chorus and Orchestra / Zdeněk Košler
Recorded live at the performance marking the re-opening of the Prague National Theatre, 18 November, 1983

Dvě vdovy / The Two Widows (1976)
- Šormová / Machotková / Zahradníček / Horáček / Švehla / Šounová
- Prague National Theatre Chorus and Orchestra / František Jílek
Recorded at The Smetana Hall of the Municipal House, Prague, 9–16 September 1975

Hubička / The Kiss (1980)
- Haken / Děpoltová / Vodička / Zítek / Márová / Hanuš / Effenberková
- Brno Janáček Opera Chorus and Orchestra / František Vajnar
Recorded at the Studio Stadion Brno, 22 June–1 July, 1980

Tajemství / The Secret (1983)
- Horáček / Zítek / Soukupová / Šounová / Vodička / Průša
Viola (fragment) (1983)
- Veselá / Drobková / Jedlička / Horáček / Švejda / Hanuš
- Prague National Theatre Chorus and Orchestra / Zdeněk Košler
Recorded at the Smetana Hall of the Municipal House, Prague, September 1981–April 1982

Čertova stěna / The Devil’s Wall (1963)
- Bednář / Šubrtová / Votava / Domanínská / Žídek / Mixová / Berman / Mráz
- Prague National Theatre Chorus and Orchestra / Zdeněk Chalabala
Recorded at the Domovina Studio, Prague, 17 October–2 December, 1960