Vltava (The Moldau River) by Bedrich Smetana;
Vilem Tausky conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
Vltava (also known as Die Moldau in German) is the name of the longest river in the Czech Republic and is also the title of the second of the six symphonic poems composed by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884), which are collectively known as Má Vlast (My Homeland). Through his music, Smetana attempted to celebrate Bohemia’s history, mythology and landscape.
In this tone poem, completed in 1874, Smetana tries to evoke the passage of the Vltava River as it flows from its origin until it merges with the Elbe at the German border.
From the composer’s notes we learn that the river begins as a single tributary represented by the sound of the flutes. Continue reading
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