# Ma vlast



## maestro267 (Jul 25, 2009)

Do you consider Smetana's Ma vlast (My Country) to be a single 80-minute work in six movements, or six seperate tone poems?


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

It partly depends on the listeners physical condition. But seriously - it is a cycle
with a very symbolic nationalistic and romantic programme and it forms an important 
part of Czech / Bohemian identity. Therefore it is at least spiritually and conceptually 
a unity to the Czechs, in spite of its long period of creation and in spite of whether one 
could consider it as actually "finished".


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## Sebastien Melmoth (Apr 14, 2010)

Smetana's e-minor String Quartet, and g-minor Piano Trio are interesting.

András Schiff recorded Smetana's Polkas for piano solo:

http://www.amazon.com/Smetana-Polka...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1274287336&sr=1-1


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

maestro267 said:


> Do you consider Smetana's Ma vlast (My Country) to be a single 80-minute work in six movements, or six seperate tone poems?


I prefer to take them one at a time rather than in the complete cycle, so I guess I am on the "six seperate tone poems" side.


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## starry (Jun 2, 2009)

It was written in the 1870s to depict the history, legends or countryside of Bohemia according to Wikipedia, representing no doubt the increasing nationalism of that particular area in relation to the Austro-Hungarian Empire which it was part of. Each piece was apparently conceived of separately. The river section is most likely the best. I like river pieces often as they tend to have a flowing melody which can appeal to me often. The theme for that section could be an adaptation of a melody from an Italian renaissance folk song or even a Romanian folk song.


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## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

The Moldau(Vltava in Czech) is the only one of the six tone poems in the cycle to be performed often on its own, although one occaisionally hears one of the others in concert.
Performances of the complete cycle are not too common outside the Czech Republic, and it is often performed complete on state occaisions and festivals.
But it's great to hear a complete performance or recording of the whole. This can be a truly inspiring experience.


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## maestro267 (Jul 25, 2009)

I always used to have a funny feeling when I saw Vltava excerpted in concert programmes; it was like only playing the finale of, say, Mahler 2, without the rest of the symphony.


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## shsherm (Jan 24, 2008)

One of my favorite concert memories is when I attended a concert by the San Francisco Symphony in 1968-9 where Ma Vlast was performed and conducted by Rafael Kubelik who definitely had an exceptional understanding and command of this music.


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