Thu, 22. 10. 2020, 7.00 p.m.

M MÁ VLAST

Venue: Zlín Congress Centre  |  Organizer: Filharmonie Bohuslava Martinů, o.p.s.  | 

The climax of our 18th Harmonia Moraviae festival is a work that reigns supreme in the canon of Czech music and one of the treasures of the Czech cultural heritage. Bedřich Smetana's cycle of six symphonic poems, Má vlast, is a supreme proclamation of patriotism encompassing the concepts of homeland, nation and glory. The overall thesis of the piece derives from Bohemian legend celebrating Czech history (Vyšehrad, Šárka, Tábor) and its countryside (Vltava, From Bohemia's Woods and Fields), and foretelling a glorious future for the Czech nation (Blaník). In this work Smetana created a new and higher-minded, so to speak, version of the symphonic poem by not tying it to a literary or other theme, but letting the music itself give voice to a motif of his own choosing.

The series took shape between 1874 and 1879 when the composer was already showing signs of being completely deaf, but even so its melodic richness, structural coherence and the sheer scale of its virtuosity are quite exceptional. The work was first performed in its entirety in 1882 at the Žofín Palace in Prague, although individual parts had been performed separately on previous occasions.

This unique work is performed by the Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic under the baton of its Chief Conductor Tomáš Brauner as our orchestra's musical contribution to the coming celebrations of the anniversary of the founding of the Czechoslovak Republic.