Bedřich Smetana’s “Má Vlast”
Article date: 22/05/10 | Last edited: 11/08/10
Má Vlast
Please note that the textual content of this post is part of an article from Wikipedia about Má Vlast and the video content is from YouTube kuma8524656’s Channel.
Má Vlast is a set of six symphonic poems composed between 1874 and 1879 by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana. While it is often presented as a single work in six movements, and outside of Vltava almost universally recorded that way, the individual pieces were conceived as a set of individual works.
Unfortunately youtube videos that were posted here are no longer available. They have been taken down “Due to a copyright claim by NHK” Thank You to Paul (www.paulhelm.com, and www.52composers.com) for noticing and telling me about it. I will look into finding suitable replacements. In the mean time please have a look at the youtube links provided by Jason of a QYO2 performance of the same work.
1. Vyšehrad
The first poem, Vyšehrad (The High Castle), composed from the end of September until 18 November 1874 and premiered on 14 March 1875, describes the Vyšehrad castle in Prague which was the seat of the earliest Czech Kings.
Conceived between 1872 and 1874, it is the only piece in the cycle to be mostly completed before Smetana began to go noticeably deaf in the summer of 1874. Most performances last approximately fifteen minutes in duration.
2. Vltava
In Smetana’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 (or Elbe, in German).”
3. Šárka
The third poem was finished on 20 February 1875 and is named for the Amazon warrior Šárka from the ancient Czech legend of the Maidens’ War. She ties herself to a tree as bait and waits to be saved by the prince Ctirad, claiming to be an unwilling captive of the rebelling women. She gets his comrades drunk on mead, and when they are asleep she persuades Ctirad, who quickly fell in love with her, to sound a hunting horn. This is an agreed signal for the other women, and the poem ends with all the men being murdered.
4. Z českých luhů a hájů
Smetana finished the composition of this piece, which is translated as “From Bohemia’s Woods and Fields” on 18 October 1875. The premiere was on 10 December 1878. It depicts the beauty of the Czech countryside. It tells no real story, but after a section evoking the grandeur of the forest, a village festival in full swing can be heard.
5. Tábor
This piece, which was finished on 13 December 1878 and premiered on 4 January 1880, is named for the city of Tábor in the south of Bohemia founded by the Hussites and serving as their center during the Hussite Wars. The theme for the piece is quoted from the first two lines of the Hussite hymn, “Ktož jsú boží bojovníci” (”Those Who Are God’s Warriors”).
6. Blaník
Blaník was finished on 9 March 1879 and premiered on 4 January 1880. It is named for the mountain Blaník inside which a legend says that a huge army of knights led by St. Wenceslas sleep. The knights will awake and help the country in its gravest hour.
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Hi Sergei, your concert in Sydney was superb. Here are some videos I took from the very back corner of Verbrugghen Hall. Hope this is a valuable resource for you. Your musicians might also enjoy watching themselves in action…
Mvt 1a - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw73WrAqVrk
Mvt 1b - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmI3EErXdVs
Mvt 2a - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llOWInx2taE
Mvt 2b - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILfVniwordQ
Mvt 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKX7qH1SLNI
Mvt 4a - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGVzgIarN3s
Mvt 4b - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDVyBBG1aWw
Mvt 5a - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JY2Q5wCP7M
Mvt 5b - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY4WOjcex1E
Mvt 6a - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJNXzto8gKI
Mvt 6b - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Asv4_8rF328
To enhance your viewing, please select 720p quality, then click the “Full Screen” button (bottom right of movie).
thank you, it was good to finally hear the piece and u found it quite spectacular.
thank you much appreciated and also much enjoyed.
Thanks for this, Sergei. I’ve looked all over for a recording of ‘Tabor’, so this is really useful. And thanks for the info on each movement!