The Bartered Bride discography The Bartered Bride discography This list is a discography of "The Bartered Bride" (; German: Die verkaufte Braut) by Bedřich Smetana. The opera was first performed, in its original two-act format, at the Provisional Theatre, Prague, on 30 May 1866. After substantial revisions it was premiered in its extended three-act form at the Provisional Theatre on 25 September 1870. The first complete recording of the opera was issued in 1933. Numerous recordings have since been made, in the original Czech language, in German and in English. The list includes both studio recordings and live performances, but not excerpts or highlights.
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