Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884)
City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
“Vltava” is the second of six symphonic poems of “Má vlast”, which means “My homeland”.
The Czech composer wrote these 6 symphonic poems between 1874 and 1879, and conceived them as individual works. However, it is often presented as a single piece in six movements.
In composer’s own words, “the composition describes the course of the Vltava, starting from the two small springs, the Cold and Warm Vltava, to the unification of both streams into a single current, the course of the Vltava through woods and meadows, through landscapes where a farmer’s wedding is celebrated, the round dance of the mermaids in the night’s moonshine: on the nearby rocks loom proud castles, palaces and ruins aloft. The Vltava swirls into the St John’s Rapids; then it widens and flows toward Prague, past the Vyšehrad, and then majestically vanishes into the distance, ending at the Labe”.
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Sites to visit:
Infromation about the set: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A1_vlast
Download the score:
http://imslp.org/wiki/M%C3%A1_Vlast,_JB_1:112_(Smetana,_Bed%C5%99ich)
The original video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdtLuyWuPDs