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
The Bride of Messina sposa di Messina" by the Italian composer Nicola Vaccai (premiered in 1839). Robert Schumann wrote an overture to "Die Braut von Messina", his Opus 100. (English translation) The Bride of Messina The Bride of Messina () is a tragedy by Friedrich Schiller; it premiered on 19 March 1803 in Weimar. It is one of the most controversial works by Schiller, due to his use of elements from Greek tragedies (which were considered obsolete at the time it was written). In the play, Schiller attempts to combine antique and modern theatre. It is set in Sicily, at a time when Paganism