Smetana’s musical depiction of the Vltava river, also known as The Moldau is much-loved. What is often forgotten, though, is that it’s only one part of Má vlast (My Homeland), a cycle of six symphonic poems about Bohemia, today the western part of the Czech Republic.
His homeland inspired Smetana to paint a grand panorama of history and landscape. Legends of fearsome warriors; the mighty fortress Vyšehrad, the seat of ancient kings; the fresh, bucolic countryside; the battles of the Hussite Wars of the fifteenth century; the river binding them all together.
Performers: Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra Conductor: James Judd
Find out more and listen to this performance here:
SMETANA: Vyšehrad, from Má Vlast
Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by James Judd
Vyšehrad in Prague Photo: Stanislav Jelen CC3.0
Má Vlast (My Fatherland) by Bedřich Smetana is cycle of six symphonic poems that describe the sights and sounds of Smetana’s native Bohemia along with famous military victories in Czech history.
The first movement, 'Vyšehrad' depicts the castle on a rocky bluff overlooking Prague, were the Bohemian royal court flourished in the 8th century under Queen Libuše.
Other works in the cycle:
Recorded by RNZ Concert, Auckland Town Hall, 12 August 2021
Engineer: Rangi Powick; Producer: Tim Dodd
SMETANA: Vltava, from Ma Vlast
Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by James Judd
Vltava in Prague Photo: CC BY-SA 2.5
Má Vlast (My Fatherland) by Bedřich Smetana is cycle of six symphonic poems that describe the sights and sounds of Smetana’s native Bohemia along with famous military victories in Czech history.
The second movement 'Vltava' (The Moldau) is the most popular of the cycle. It paints a vivid portrait of Bohemia's mighty river from its source to its end.
Smetana came up with the idea for the opening during a picnic at the conjunction of two mountain brooks, with glints of sunlight on the rippling surface trickling over the rocks. In the music, the brooks join into a swift stream whose lovely melody comes from a folksong. As the river swells and courses through the countryside, we hear hunting horns, a wedding dance, nocturnal nymphs, foaming rapids and a majestic flow past Prague before disappearing from sight as it joins the Elbe.
Other works in the cycle:
Recorded by RNZ Concert, Auckland Town Hall, 12 August 2021
Engineer: Rangi Powick; Producer: Tim Dodd
SMETANA: Šárka, from Ma Vlast
Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by James Judd
Statue of Ctirad and Šárka Photo: Michal Kmínek, CC3.0
Má Vlast (My Fatherland) by Bedřich Smetana is cycle of six symphonic poems that describe the sights and sounds of Smetana’s native Bohemia along with famous military victories in Czech history.
In the third movement, Smetana turns to legend. 'Šárka' is the bloody tale of an Amazon maiden who massacres the men who betrayed her. She seduces her unfaithful lover, Ctirad, and lulls his soldiers to sleep and then snarls with fierce pride as she calls her troops to avenge her shame.
Other works in the cycle:
Recorded by RNZ Concert, Auckland Town Hall, 12 August 2021
Engineer: Rangi Powick; Producer: Tim Dodd
SMETANA: From Bohemia's Woods and Fields, from Ma Vlast
Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by James Judd
Chodová Planá, Czech Republic Photo: Václav Němec, CC3.0
Má Vlast (My Fatherland) by Bedřich Smetana is cycle of six symphonic poems that describe the sights and sounds of Smetana’s native Bohemia along with famous military victories in Czech history.
The fourth movment, 'From Bohemia's Meadows and Fields' is a pastoral interlude, a celebration of the splendour of Nature with the scents and breezes of a summer day.
Other works in the cycle:
Recorded by RNZ Concert, Auckland Town Hall, 12 August 2021
Engineer: Rangi Powick; Producer: Tim Dodd
SMETANA Tábor, from Ma Vlast
Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by James Judd
Statue in Tábor Photo: free image ex pxfuel
Má Vlast (My Fatherland) by Bedřich Smetana is cycle of six symphonic poems that describe the sights and sounds of Smetana’s native Bohemia along with famous military victories in Czech history.
The fifth movement, 'Tábor', is named for the city of Tábor and is a character portrait of Hussite warriors - 14th century religious zealot dissidents dedicated to Bohemian independence. This music is based on a Hussite hymn associated with the city of Prague.
Other works in the cycle:
Recorded by RNZ Concert, Auckland Town Hall, 12 August 2021
Engineer: Rangi Powick; Producer: Tim Dodd
SMETANA: Blaník, from Ma Vlast
Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by James Judd
St Wenceslas and his knights Photo: public domain
Má Vlast (My Fatherland) by Bedřich Smetana is cycle of six symphonic poems that describe the sights and sounds of Smetana’s native Bohemia along with famous military victories in Czech history.
Depicted in the final movement, Blaník, is the mountain where the warriors, led by St Wenceslas, sleep until the day when they might again be summoned to rally and defend their people in time of need.
The piece begins with the same motif that ends 'Tábor'. A pastoral interlude describes the scenery, including a shepherd-boy's pipe. Then, in response to the people's suffering, the knights emerge with a new joyous hymn to triumph and restore peace.
The Hussite hymn merges with the opening motif from the first movement of the cycle, Vyšehrad, thundering out as Smetana's review of the history, character, land, pride and aspirations of the entire Czech people reaches the work’s victorious conclusion, pointing the nation toward the glorious future Queen Libuše had foretold at the first flowering of its culture.
Other works in the cycle:
Recorded by RNZ Concert, Auckland Town Hall, 12 August 2021
Engineer: Rangi Powick; Producer: Tim Dodd
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