Bedřich Smetana himself into the musical life of the city, primarily as a champion of the new genre of Czech opera. In 1866 his first two operas, "The Brandenburgers in Bohemia" and "The Bartered Bride", were premiered at Prague's new Provisional Theatre, the latter achieving great popularity. In that same year, Smetana became the theatre's principal conductor, but the years of his conductorship were marked by controversy. Factions within the city's musical establishment considered his identification with the progressive ideas of Franz Liszt and Richard Wagner inimical to the development of a distinctively Czech opera style. This opposition interfered with his creative
The Bride of the Wind The Bride of the Wind The Bride of the Wind (Die Windsbraut) (or The Tempest) is a 1913–1914 painting by Oskar Kokoschka. The oil on canvas work is housed in the Kunstmuseum Basel. Kokoschka's best known work, it is an allegorical picture featuring a self-portrait by the artist, lying alongside his lover Alma Mahler. In 1912, Kokoschka met first met Mahler, the recently widowed wife of composer Gustav Mahler. A passionate romance ensued, with the artist producing numerous drawings and paintings of Alma Mahler. The painting depicts Mahler in a peaceful sleep beside Kokoschka, who is awake and stares into