It is a cornerstone of Czech national music and a highlight of Romanticism: Smetana’s Má vlast (My Fatherland or My Homeland). In this video, the six-part cycle of symphonic poems is performed by the Czech Philharmonic under the direction of Semyon Bychkov in the magnificent Dvořák Hall of the Rudolfinum in Prague. The occasion was the Velvet Revolution Concert on November 17, 2020.
(00:00) Credits
(00:21) 1. Vyšehrad (The High Castle)
(16:48) 2. Vltava (The Moldau)
(30:07) 3. Šárka
(42:07) 4. Z českých luhů a hájů (From Bohemian Fields and Groves)
(55:32) 5. Tábor
(1:09:07) 6. Blaník
The “Velvet Revolution” refers to the peaceful transition of power in Czechoslovakia during November and December 1989, when the country moved from a socialist regime to a democratic state within just a few weeks—without violence. This historic shift is celebrated each year by the Czech Philharmonic with a special concert. And of course, My Fatherland by Czech composer Bedřich Smetana (1824–1884) has a firm place in the program.
The orchestral cycle consists of six symphonic poems, composed by Smetana between 1872 and 1879. Each of these tone poems is associated with a subject connected to the Bohemian landscape, its history, or its legends. With My Homeland, Smetana aligned himself with the widespread 19th-century tradition of nationalist music. Incorporating folk melodies, the Bohemian (now Czech) composer sought to express a national artistic identity through music. Each symphonic poem stands alone as a complete work, and between 1875 and 1880 they were premiered individually. The full cycle was first performed on November 5, 1882, in Prague.
Though My Homeland is considered program music, Smetana did not assign any official literary program to the six pieces. Only with the premiere’s program booklet were the evocative titles revealed—and these have been considered authoritative ever since.
The first piece, Vyšehrad (The High Castle), references the founding myth of the Czech people, symbolized by the castle Vyšehrad, seat of Bohemia’s earliest rulers.
The second, Vltava (The Moldau), takes listeners on a tone-painting journey along the Czech Republic’s largest river. As a standalone piece, it is the most famous of the cycle.
The third poem, Šárka, draws on the legend of a warrior woman who fought for control over Bohemia.
Part four, Z českých luhů a hájů (From Bohemian Fields and Groves), is a pastoral work whose melodies evoke an idealized, quintessentially Bohemian sound.
With Tábor, the fifth piece, Smetana pays homage to the city of Tábor, the starting point of the Hussite freedom movement.
The sixth and final piece, Blaník, refers to a mountain near Tábor, where legend holds that an army of sleeping knights lies in wait—ready to rise and defend the nation in times of need.
Fascinating parallels can be drawn between Smetana’s Má vlast (My Fatherland) and Richard Wagner’s (1813–1883) Ring of the Nibelung. Wagner’s mythological tetralogy, composed between 1848 and 1874, explores timeless themes of power struggles and love, woven together with complex leitmotifs. Interestingly, Smetana originally conceived just four symphonic poems, calling them a tetralogy. Like Wagner, he employs leitmotifs to unify his work. In fact, parts of The Moldau are strikingly reminiscent of Wagner’s Das Rheingold.
© 2020 CZECH PHILHARMONIC
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