Valediction

Forced to withdraw from public life, Smetana worries about his future and his legacy. With Donald Macleod.

The title of Smetana’s most popular work, ‘Ma Vlast’, gives us a clue to what drove him through much of his career. It translates as ‘My Homeland’ and the music is Smetana’s ardent tribute to the Czech sprit of his beloved Bohemia. The composer was deeply involved with his people’s struggle for cultural and political independence from the Hapsburg empire. He pledged his art to those aims, and he even took to the streets to fight on the barricades, on one occasion.
Smetana’s life was also beset by great misfortunes. When times were hardest, he always turned to music, even after illness made composing an almost impossible exertion. He created some of his most extraordinary works under the most painful circumstances. This week, Donald Macleod follows Smetana as he grows from naïve revolutionary into one of the foundational figures in Czech music.

In today’s programme, Smetana is forced to abandon his home in Prague as his financial circumstances deteriorate. He works feverishly to produce new operas that might win over Czech audiences and secure the income he desperately needs. Away from the theatre, he’s creating some of his most personal and inspired music yet.

On the Sea Shore
Kathryn Stott, piano

Libuše: Overture
Cleveland Orchestra, conducted by Christoph von Dohnányi

String Quartet No.1 in Em ‘From My Life’: I. Allegro vivo appassionato & II. Allegro moderato alla Polka
Wihan Quartet

Czech Dances, Book 2: No.7 ‘The Lancer’ & No.6 ‘Stamp Dance’
Jan Novotný, piano

String Quartet No.2 in D, II. Allegro moderato - Andante cantabile & III. Allegro non piú moderato, ma agitato e con fuoco
Pavel Haas Quartet