Smetana's frothy, almost operetta-like opera Hubicka (The Kiss) is a standard, popular work in Czech-speaking lands and has been since its premiere in 1876. This makes one wonder why it has not been recorded more often. The recording under consideration here, made by the then Czech state label Supraphon in 1952, was the only complete one for many, many years. A more contemporary recording, made by the Brno Janácek Opera in 1980 under conductor Josef Pancik, just simply is not as successful as this monophonic recording led ...
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Smetana's frothy, almost operetta-like opera Hubicka (The Kiss) is a standard, popular work in Czech-speaking lands and has been since its premiere in 1876. This makes one wonder why it has not been recorded more often. The recording under consideration here, made by the then Czech state label Supraphon in 1952, was the only complete one for many, many years. A more contemporary recording, made by the Brno Janácek Opera in 1980 under conductor Josef Pancik, just simply is not as successful as this monophonic recording led by the great Zdenek Chalabala, so this version remains the gold standard for Hubicka. This 2006 Supraphon package is especially nice and well made as not a single member of this excellent cast is left alive at its issue, thumbnail biographies are provided for each member. The full text of Eliska Krásnohorska's famous, and controversial, libretto is given in four languages, and this brings the book up to 172 pages, but listeners will be very grateful nonetheless. Smetana's music is at...
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