Bedřich Smetana the Czech opera repertory, but of these only "The Bartered Bride" is performed regularly outside the composer's homeland. After reaching Vienna in 1892, and London in 1895, it rapidly became part of the repertory of every major opera company worldwide. Newmarch argues that "The Bartered Bride", while not a "gem of the first order", is nevertheless "a perfectly cut and polished stone of its kind." Its trademark overture, which Newmarch says "lifts us off our feet with its madcap vivacity", was composed in a piano version before Smetana received the draft libretto. Clapham believes that this has few precedents in
Bride of the Wind Bride of the Wind Bride of the Wind is a 2001 period drama directed by Academy Award-nominee Bruce Beresford and written by first-time screenwriter Marilyn Levy. Loosely based on the life of Alma Mahler, "Bride of the Wind" recounts Alma's marriage to the composer Gustav Mahler and her romantic liasions. The title of the film alludes to a painting by Oskar Kokoschka named "Die Windsbraut", literally meaning "The Bride of the Wind", though often translated as "The Tempest". The artist dedicated this painting to Alma Mahler. The film met a hostile reception from most critics and did poorly at the