The great cycle My Fatherland (Má vlast) by Bedřich Smetana is popular all over the world, especially of course The Vltava . In the Czech Republic, however, the cycle is much more than that: a crystallization point of national consciousness. Every year, the great Prague Spring festival opens with it and My Fatherland is an indispensable part of the national holiday commemorating the founding of independent Czechoslovakia on October 28, 1918 .

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8th Philharmonic Concert: Along the Vltava

Konzerthaus Dortmund

Brilliant Bohemia! A country with a rich musical tradition that has produced many excellent composers throughout history who have left their mark on the world of classical music. Some of the greatest masterpieces in music history were created here, where the folk melodies of past centuries seem to be omnipresent to this day - the harmonies of past eras still echo in the picturesque valleys and hills of Bohemia. When you think of Bohemia, this region of the Czech Republic is undoubtedly associated with composers such as Bedřich Smetana and Antonín Dvořák; their works reflect the Bohemian landscape as if they were in harmony with the rivers, forests and mountains themselves. Their music is like a walk through the lush meadows, like a dance along the banks of the Vltava, and if you listen carefully, you can even hear whispers of the legends hidden in ancient walls. Bedřich Smetana's sound painting "Má vlast" [My Fatherland] can truly be seen as a national epic of Bohemia. The cycle was created at a time when national consciousness was developing: after the first performances, "Má vlast" was already perceived as a political statement, as a rebellion against what the majority of the Czech population saw as Austrian foreign rule. But despite all the political interpretations, one thing is impressive about these symphonic poems: their pure, voluptuous aesthetics. They are a gift to humanity! The Budweis composer Sylvie Bodorová is one of the most important contemporary composers of her generation. She has extensive knowledge of 20th century composition techniques, is intensively involved with the so-called "Polish School" and fuses various Slavic-Russian sound elements with Balkan rhythms in her works - her current compositional style can be assigned primarily to neo-expressionism, in which electronic elements are also used - as in her opera "Quo vadis", which will premiere in 2023 and in which sound approaches by Shostakovich, Janáček and Khachaturian shine through. "I want to give my listeners beauty and let them share in the wonders of creation. Music is the greatest gift - it is always with us when we need it." Promoting exceptional instrumentalists has always been a matter close to Sylvie Bodorová's heart; She dedicates her double bass concerto “Il trionfo del Basso” to the double bass virtuoso Roman Patkoló, who will premiere this work in Gotha and Eisenach. 


5.SiKo Bodorová and Smetana – Triumph of Sound

State Theatre Eisenach

Like few others, the composer Bedřich Smetana was able
to translate the natural images of his Czech homeland into music. "The Vltava" is the
most popular part of his cycle "My Fatherland" [Má vlast], which is why it
is often referred to as the "unofficial national anthem" of the Czech Republic.
With a suitcase full of ideas and Smetana's music in his ears, narrator
Patrick Rohbeck takes young and old on a journey along the Vltava River:
from the bubbling springs in the Bohemian Forest to the golden city of Prague,

The Vltava – In the rush of waves through the Czech Republic

Margarethenkirche Gotha

Into the new year with music and the Thuringia Philharmonic Gotha-Eisenach! Our varied festival concert program will put you in the mood for the new year 2025 in a happy, cheerful and exhilarating way. Our guests are the soprano Jeannette Wernecke and the baritone Hans Gröning. Look forward to a philharmonic fireworks display under the musical direction of our first guest conductor Charles Olivieri-Munroe! 

Charles Olivieri-Munroe

Events

Past events

15 - 16 Apr, 2025

8th Philharmonic Concert: Along the Vltava · Dortmunder Philharmoniker

Feb 21, 2025

5.SiKo Bodorová and Smetana – Triumph of Sound · Thüringen Philharmonie Gotha-Eisenach

Future and recently performed repertoire

Conductor in Má vlast by Smetana

Dortmunder Philharmoniker

About

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