cording (by The Cleveland Orchestra) cherished by my father. He often chose to wake us on Sundays by playing music — of a vastly eclectic range. But the watery sounds of the Moldau were among my favorite, both for the realism of the river itself and for the long, over-arching crescendo that turns little stream (barely awake) into mighty river (time for breakfast). Part Four: FROM BOHEMIA’S FORESTS AND FIELDS
In From Bohemia’s Forests and Fields, after painting portraits in the first movements of the country’s greatest fortress, its national river, and one of its fiercest historical heroes, Smetana wrote a musical ode to the common countryside filled with average villages, verdant greenery, and everyday beauty. Of this music, Smetana wrote: “This symphonic poem broadly characterizes the thoughts and feelings that well within us as we survey the Bohemian landscape. From every direction, fervent song comes to our ears; every grove and all the flowered meadows sing their melodies, both cheerful and melancholy. All have something to say: the deep, dark forests (horn solos) and the sunny, fertile plains along the Elbe River, and all the other parts of the rich and beautiful land of Bohemia.” While not as specifically programmatic as other parts of the cycle, this finelyetched tone painting evokes some of the feelings that nature can inspire and, like Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony, is difficult to resist in its at times gentle sincerity. Epilog: MÁ VLAST
The success of his first four parts encouraged Smetana to write two more, creating a total of six movements to Má Vlast. These were first performed as a cycle in November 1882, to great acclaim and rejoicing. The two movements being presented at this morning’s Cleveland Orchestra concert provide a clear and pleasing view of Smetana’s love for his country — and his enduring ability to paint Czech themes in music. —Eric Sellen © 2013
Severance Hall 2012-13
About the Music
At a Glance Smetana first talked about writing a musical work depicting the river Moldau in 1867. Five years later, he made some sketches related to two “symphonic poems,” one about the river and one about the fortress Vyšehrad. He completed these two in 1874, after suffering profound hearing loss that summer. He wrote Šárka in early 1875, and the fourth poem, From Bohemia’s Forests and Fields, later that year. Each piece was premiered separately in Prague, between March 1875 and March 1877. Smetana created two additional movements for the cycle in 1878-79; they were then premiered in 1880. The entire Má Vlast was first performed together on November 5, 1882. Parts Two and Four — The Moldau and From Bohemia’s Forests and Fields — together run about 20 minutes in performances. Smetana scored them for an orchestra of 2 flutes and piccolo, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (triangle, cymbals, bass drum), harp (in The Moldau), and strings.
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