The Moldau is right up there with the all-time-great classical hits on concert stages around the world. Among other reasons, Smetana’s fabulous tone painting rich in legend is so popular because behind the extremely vivid natural depiction there is a deeply felt program creating a place for it in the six-part cycle Má Vlast (My Fatherland). Contemplating his fiftieth stage anniversary as a much-acclaimed pianist, Smetana published the version for piano four hands even prior to the release of the orchestral score.

Má Vlast, which can also be translated as “Belonging,” is of course a political statement of national identity. For seventy years the Czech Philharmonic has opened the Prague Spring Festival with this work – a perennial signal in the face of increasing cultural randomness.


Ma Vlast is of course great listening pleasure even when removed from its historical background. This applies in special measure to this threedimensional recording produced in noble SACD technology: the 2+2+2 principle fully immerses the public in the concert illusion – while legendary Bohemian figures rise up in lifelike impressions. This is a dual layer SACD playable on all CD players.