麻豆社

Smetana鈥檚 campaign to save his prestigious conducting job is unexpectedly derailed. With Donald Macleod.

The title of Smetana鈥檚 most popular work, 鈥楳a Vlast鈥�, gives us a clue to what drove him through much of his career. It translates as 鈥楳y Homeland鈥� and the music is Smetana鈥檚 ardent tribute to the Czech sprit of his beloved Bohemia. The composer was deeply involved with his people鈥檚 struggle for cultural and political independence from the Hapsburg empire. He pledged his art to those aims, and he even took to the streets to fight on the barricades, on one occasion.

Smetana鈥檚 life was also beset by great misfortunes. When times were hardest, he always turned to music, even after illness made composing an almost impossible exertion. He created some of his most extraordinary works under the most painful circumstances. This week, Donald Macleod follows Smetana as he grows from na茂ve revolutionary into one of the foundational figures in Czech music.

Today, Smetana fights to defend his position as Prague鈥檚 leading music voice. The political battles that ensue are even more vicious than the musical ones. Then, just as matters seem to be resolving, tragedy strikes in his life once again.

Dalibor: Act I Scene 1
麻豆社 Singers
麻豆社 Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Ji艡铆 B臎lohl谩vek

Festive Overture in C
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Robert Stankovsky

The Two Widows: Act 2: Scene 3
Marchela Machotkov谩, soprano (Ane啪ka)
Ji艡铆 Zahradn铆膷ek, tenor (Ladislav)
Prague National Theatre Orchestra, conducted by Franti拧ek J铆lek

M谩 Vlast: 2. Vltava & 4. Z 膷esk媒ch luh暖 a h谩j暖.
Czech Philharmonic, conducted by Ji艡铆 B臎lohl谩vek