Smetana's career was profoundly influenced by the ideas of patriotism current in 1848, when national feelings were running high throughout Europe.
Performer Biography
Leoš Svárovský, the conductor on this album, studied flute and conducting as the last student of renowned professor Václav Neumann at the Academy of Music in Prague.
Performer Biography
The Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra was established in 1949 by esteemed conductors Václav Talich and Ľudovít Rajter.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Smetana's musical development was enhanced by the examples of Berlioz, whose Symphonie fantastique he conducted, and Liszt, whose advice he sought.
Composer Biography
Bedřich Smetana, a figure of particular importance in Czech music, was the eleventh child and first son to survive infancy of a brewer who served Count Wallenstein.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Smetana created and inspired a synthesis of native Czech tradition and the Classical forms of music in which he had been trained.
Composer Biography
Smetana suffered from complete deafness by October 1874, the result of a supposed venereal infection contracted earlier in life.
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