this magnificent work was one of the very first classical pieces I learned. In
my 7th grade class---way back in the 1960's---our new church organist also
taught music in the classrooms. Once a week, he would come in with a little
old phonograph and play LP recordings; once I had heard Moldau, I was
hooked.
It's important to realize that Smetana was one of Bohemia's national leaders
in the 1860's-70's, when the Czech culture and language were in danger of
being swallowed up by German influence in the region. Smetana's greatest
orchestral work is his group of SIX symphonic poems Ma Vlast ("My Country"),
of which Moldau is the second and most popular. Moldau is the Germanic
name of the river Vltava, which runs through the center of Prague in its
course through the countryside of Bohemia; it has come to symbolize the
very soul of that great nation.
Smetana's uncanny ability to represent the river in orchestral terms is no
more evident than in the very opening, where the two flutes perform a
delicate, swirling little duet (marked lusingando, or "alluring", "caressing"
in Italian) that gives the impression of two tiny, sparkling rivulets that
spring forth from the mountains and from which the entire river flows.
From there, the orchestral fabric grows and expands in masterly fashion,
until the entire string section is swaying back and forth to create the
actual physical sensation of gently cascading waves (Smetana writes the
Italian word ondeggiate here---"rolling, undulating"). And then, the
great THEME of the Moldau appears in the first violins.....
The river travels past scenes of great beauty---woods filled with the sounds
of hunting horns, a robust peasant wedding with polka, a moonlit scene
with dancing water nymphs, and a turbulent, violent storm scene.
The NSO and I rehearsed this work last night (Monday), and the sound
of the flute, clarinet and string "waves" was, I felt, perfectly captured by
our players. You will hear for yourselves on Sunday.
Also, I feel that Smetana's tragic loss of hearing about the time he wrote
this work may have affected his writing of the Storm scene, which is
scored in a rather cluttered and heavy-handed way; it's almost impossible
to distinguish the main thematic elements over the rest of the orchestral
din (had he actually heard the work in performance, I think he might have
thinned out some of the orchestration). But through careful re-balancing
of the parts, I think the textures will be about as clean and distinguishable
as you are likely to hear in a live performance of this work.
I recall when flying to Prague a number of years ago, that the second
the plane's tires hit the runway upon landing, all of the people on board
instantaneously burst into applause while, magically, the very first sound
of the little flute "rivulets" of The Moldau were heard on the plane's
sound system; the work was played in its entirety as we "de-planed".
A very moving tribute to the great city of Prague and the Czech nation.
Within a few days, I was standing on the Charles Bridge watching the
mighty Vltava flowing under and all around.
A magnificent work which definitely deserves it popularity.
FYI--- I had originally programmed the fourth of the Ma Vlast symphonic
poems, From Bohemia's Meadows and Forests, which is actually my favorite
of the six (we also did the 6th poem Blaink, along with Moldau, during my
first season with the NSO). But No. 4 contains some very complex string
passages which would have required more rehearsal time than I felt we
had; so...as I often do....I erred on the side of caution and substituted
the familiar Moldau, which I am glad to have done. We'll do Bohemia's
Meadows sometime in the near future; it's a fabulously enjoyable work.
Thanks for reading,
Larry R
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