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 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, eventually flowing into the sea at the Heligoland Bight. I am providing a description of the music below based on my understanding of the music as well as borrowing some parts from a set of program notes: From the composer's notes we learn that the river begins as a single tributary represented by the sound of the flutes. The clarinets join the flutes to represent the second tributary. The violins, oboes, and bassoons unite to play the famous theme based on a Bohemian folk melody that keeps recurring throughout the piece as a way of showing how the river continues to gain strength as it flows. We hear the horns that portray the passage of the river through a forest where a hunt is in progress. We then hear the dance music, part polka – part march, reminding us that the river is flowing past a village where a rustic wedding celebration is taking <b>…</b>
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 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, eventually flowing into the sea at the Heligoland Bight. I am providing a description of the music below based on my understanding of the music as well as borrowing some parts from a set of program notes: From the composer's notes we learn that the river begins as a single tributary represented by the sound of the flutes. The clarinets join the flutes to represent the second tributary. The violins, oboes, and bassoons unite to play the famous theme based on a Bohemian folk melody that keeps recurring throughout the piece as a way of showing how the river continues to gain strength as it flows. We hear the horns that portray the passage of the river through a forest where a hunt is in progress. We then hear the dance music, part polka – part march, reminding us that the river is flowing past a village where a rustic wedding celebration is taking <b>…</b>
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