The history of the Prague Symphony Orchestra is intrinsically linked to that of the city, and this reality is also reflected in its repertoire. After the success of the recording entitled “Music for Prague 1968” by composer Karel Husa, a work written following the crushing of the Prague Spring by Soviet troops, the orchestra and its conductor, Tomáš Brauner, offer a new album dedicated to in Prague.
This time, the dramaturgy focuses on the end of the 19th century, a period known as the “renewal” or “national awakening” during which the Czech people fought to assert their language, culture and Czech identity within the Austro-Hungarian monarchy.
of Prague Symphony Orchestra, Tomáš Brauner – Smetana, Dvořák, Suk, Ostrčil: Music for Prague (teaser)
The backbone of the album is the monumental symphonic poem “Praga” by Josef Suk, a piece based on the Hussite chant “Who are the fighters of God” (“Ktož jsú Boží bojovníci”), the poem “Vyšehrad” , taken from the famous cycle “My Homeland” (“Má vlast”) by Bedřich Smetana and, finally, from the unique piece of its kind “ Pohádka o Šemíkovi” (literally “The Fairy Tale of Šemík”, name of a legendary white horse in Slavic mythology), an almost unknown symphonic poem the fruit of the genius of Otakar Ostrčil when he was nineteen years old , a musical tale which also takes place in Vyšehrad.
And on this album, we also find, of course, the music of the “inevitable” Antonín Dvořák. In few of his works is Dvořák as explicitly patriotic as in the opening of “My Homeland” (“Můj domov”), a relatively little-known piece, based on the theme of the folk song “Kde domov můj”, which became later the Czech national anthem at the time of the founding of the Czechoslovak state in 1918.
Finally, Dvořák’s “Fanfares” composed for the great Prague Exhibition in 1891 is another original feature of this album. After the warm reception given to the recording of “Slavic Dances”, the Prague Symphony Orchestra confirms, here too, that the Czech late romantic repertoire is its mother tongue and most natural. We’ll let you enjoy it, enjoy listening!
