Smetana: Triumphal Symphony & Overture and Dances from The Bartered Bride

Featuring

Darrell Ang
Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin
Bedřich Smetana

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Performer Biography

Darrell Ang, the conductor, is the artistic director and chief conductor of China's Sichuan Symphony and won all three top awards at the 50th Besançon International Young Conductors' Competition.

Recording & Production

The Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra (Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin), featured on this recording, dates back to the beginnings of music broadcasting in 1923 and is one of Berlin's top orchestras.

Composition History

Smetana composed his Festive Symphony in 1854 as a tribute to Emperor Franz Joseph I, hoping he would be crowned King of Bohemia, but the composer received no reply to his dedication request.

Critical Reception

The Festive Symphony suffered neglect because its use of the Austrian Imperial anthem became unacceptable to Czech nationalists, leading Smetana himself to start the custom of playing only the Scherzo movement, which lacked Hapsburg connotations.

Historical Context

Smetana's career was profoundly influenced by the nationalist feelings running high in Europe during the 1848 political events, in which he was involved.

Cultural Impact

Smetana's opera The Bartered Bride secured his international reputation and became a beacon for the Czech nation's 19th-century musical renaissance as the only Czech opera of its time to enter the standard repertoire.

Composer Biography

Bedřich Smetana, a pivotal figure in Czech music, was the eleventh child and first son to survive infancy of a brewer, and showed early promise as a pianist and violinist.