SMETANA: Vltava; DVORAK: Symphony No. 9 - Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Karel Ancerl

Bedřich Smetana - Vltava, from the cycle of symphonic poems My Country (1874)
Antonín Dvořák - Symphony No. 9 in E minor, "From the New World", Op. 95 (1893)

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra / conductor Karel Ančerl

This CD is a must-have for everyone who wants to gain an awareness of Czech music, its most frequently performed and most frequently recorded compositions. A recording from an orchestra synonymous with the two great composers. And the conductor who introduced the Czech Philharmonic to the world.

Smetana wrote Vltava less than two months before suddenly losing his hearing. It was an emphatic answer to the speculations that this tragic circumstance would put an end to his compositional career. The "Story of a Czech River" would become a symbol of everything Czech, a hymn celebrating the Czech land, the Czech nation and its traditions. On the other hand, Dvořák's time in America, crowned by the triumph of Symphony No. 9, "From the New World", clearly demonstrated the international quality of Czech music - the power of its heredity as well as the ability to reflect and co-create the development of music in the world. Smetana was at the birth of the "Czech music" phenomenon, while Dvořák ensured that this phenomenon became known worldwide.

Bedřich Smetana
My Country. A Cycle of Symphonic Poems
1. Vltava (Moldau) (Allegro comodo, non agitato) 12:35
Antonín Dvořák
Symphony No. 9 in E minor "From The New World", Op. 95
2. Adagio. Allegro molto 09:08
3. Largo 11:32
4. Molto vivace 07:50
5. Allegro con fuoco 11:13


Karel Ančerl in turn succeeded in transforming the Czech Philharmonic into a world-renowned orchestra, an ensemble authentically and inimitably representing Czech music and musicality from New York to Tokyo.