Pauline von Metternich to the music circles of Vienna and Paris. Thanks to Pauline, Smetana's comic opera "The Bartered Bride" was produced in Vienna in 1892, to popular acclaim. She also organised salon performances of abridged versions of many famous operas, including Richard Wagner's "Der Ring des Nibelungen", in which she took part both as a stage director and singer. The composer Karl Michael Ziehrer dedicated her one of his dances. In her private life, however, Pauline suffered several crises and disasters. As a child, she was an eyewitness to the bloody Revolution of 1848 in Vienna. In 1870 she remained at the
The Bartered Bride and Kecal were all taken by leading members of the "Brandenburgers" cast. A celebrated actor, Jindřich Mošna, was engaged to play the Ringmaster, a role which involves little singing skill. The choice of date proved unfortunate for several reasons. It clashed with a public holiday, and many people had left the city for the country. It was an intensely hot day, which further reduced the number of people prepared to suffer the discomfort of a stuffy theatre. Worse, the threat of an imminent war between Prussia and Austria caused unrest and anxiety in Prague, which dampened public enthusiasm for light