Bedřich Smetana: A selection of famous and representative works!
Bedřich Smetana was a Czech composer, conductor, and pianist.
He is called the “father of Czech music” as the first composer to write music that expressed Czech identity, and he produced many works.
Among them, many of you may know “The Moldau” from his cycle “Má vlast” (My Homeland).
In this article, we introduce Smetana’s masterpieces and signature works.
From opera to chamber music to piano pieces, there are many works across genres through which you can feel Czech music—be sure to check them out!
- [Smetana’s Piano Works] A curated selection of gems by the composer of the masterpiece “The Moldau.”
- [Masterpiece Classics] A special showcase of gem-like masterpieces so beautiful they’ll move you to tears
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- [Orchestra] Introducing famous and popular pieces
- Sibelius’s famous piece. Popular classical music.
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- A masterpiece by Alexander Borodin. Popular classical music.
- Robert Schumann | Introduction to his famous and representative works
- Masterpieces by Gustav Mahler. Popular classical music.
- Highlighting the masterpieces and popular works of Mikhail Glinka, the pioneering composer of Russian music
- Pick up Beethoven’s famous and representative works!
- [Tchaikovsky] Pick up famous and representative pieces!
Bedřich Smetana: A selection of famous and representative works (21–30)
Concert Etude “By the Seashore”Bedřich Smetana
By the Seashore, Concert Etude (Na břehu mořském “vzpomínka” koncertní etuda) in G-sharp minor, Op.
17.
Smetana was active as a pianist before he was known as a composer and left many piano works.
Performed by Czech pianist Jitka Čechová.
Dreams – Six Character VignettesBedřich Smetana
Dreams – Six Character Pieces (Sny: Six Characteristic Compositions).
No.
1: Lost Happiness; No.
2: Consolation; No.
3: In Bohemia; No.
4: In the Salon; No.
5: By the Castle; No.
6: Bohemian Peasants’ Festival.
Piano: Mariko Tsuboi, performed at Kyoto Aoyama Barocksaal.
Mirada’s aria from the opera DaliborBedřich Smetana
Milada’s aria “Jak je mi?” from the opera Dalibor.
This is a three-act opera.
Soloist: Latvian soprano Kristine Opolais; Orchestra: Latvian National Opera Symphony Orchestra; Conductor: Mihails Tatarnikov.
Overture from the opera “Libuše”Bedřich Smetana
Overture from the opera Libuše.
Although this opera was composed for the coronation of Emperor Franz Joseph I, it was not used and was instead performed at the opening of the Prague National Theatre.
Performed by the Prague National Theatre Orchestra, conducted by Jaroslav Kromholc.
From the opera Libuše, Act III: Finale, Libuše’s AriaBedřich Smetana
From the opera “Libuše”: Act 3, Finale, Libuše’s aria.
Libuše is a woman from Czech legend, and according to the legend, Prague’s history began with her prophecy.
The solo is sung by soprano Gabriela Beňačková.
Overture from the opera “The Kiss”Bedřich Smetana
From the opera The Kiss (Hubička): Overture.
A two-act opera with a libretto by the Czechoslovak woman writer Eliška Krásnohorská, based on a novel by Karolina Světlá.
Performed by the Mürztal Symphony Orchestra of Mürzzuschlag.
The Moldau – From My HomelandBedrich Smetana
Composed between 1874 and 1879 by Bedřich Smetana, a leading Czech composer, this work consists of six symphonic poems, the most famous of which is the second piece, “The Moldau (Vltava).” It is often performed on its own and portrays the flow of the Czech river Vltava, which it is modeled after.
Just as video games have field music, this piece sounds almost like a field theme from a game.
The grandeur of the orchestral performance is truly overwhelming.