My Fatherland (Ma Vlast), No. 2: The Moldau (Vltava)

Má vlast (My Fatherland or My Country) is a collection of six symphonic poems composed by Bedrich Smetana (1824-1884) between 1874 and 1879. Conceived as individual works, though commonly presented as a single work in six movements, each symphonic poem reflects the ideals of nationalistic music pioneered in the late nineteenth century, with each depicting an aspect of Bohemia’s countryside, history, or legends. The second and most popular of the six symphonic poems, Vltava (The Moldau), describes the course of the Moldau River from its beginnings as two springs to its ends as a majestic and mighty river. Movements: The Two Sources of the Moldau; Forest Hunt; Peasant Wedding; The Moldau at its Greatest Breadth; Vyšehrad Motive. In this edition by Steven Rosenhaus, parts of the fourth and fifth movements (Moonlight: Nymphs’ Dance and St. John’s Rapids) are included as transitions, although they are not listed as wholly included movements in the music. Instrumentation: 2+Picc.2.2.2: 4.2.3.1: Timp.Perc(3): Str (9-8-7-6-5 in set).