A NEW ALBUM FEATURING THE SYMPHONIC WORKS OF BEDŘICH SMETANA
In just a few years, Petr Popelka has risen rapidly to join the ranks of the world’s leading conductors.
The Chief Conductor of the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra regularly performs with top European and American orchestras as well as at renowned opera houses. These days, he is releasing a three-disc album under the Supraphon label, featuring the complete symphonic works of Bedřich Smetana, recorded with the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Regarding the new recording, Petr Popelka commented:
"The initial idea for the album's concept came about when I joined the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra as Chief Conductor in 2022. We started discussing what we would like to record. I felt deeply about Bedřich Smetana because the bicentenary of his birth was approaching. We decided on this major project—a complete collection so closely tied to Czech culture. And even though Má vlast has been recorded thousands of times, we wanted to capture this era and the time we live in—perhaps fifty years from now, our successors will hear it in a different way."
The three-disc album includes String Quartet "From My Life" from the peak of Smetana's career when he was already deaf. This piece was arranged for orchestra by George Szell. Representing the young Smetana, the album features the Triumphal Symphony, dedicated to the 24-year-old Emperor Franz Joseph I on the occasion of his marriage to Elisabeth of Bavaria, as well as three “Swedish” symphonic poems inspired by Liszt’s model. These works draw on grand global dramas, such as Shakespeare’s Richard III and Schiller’s Wallenstein.
"One should approach Smetana’s Má vlast almost like an opera—a grand story. This cycle of poems dedicated to one’s homeland is truly unique in the history of music. Above all, I don’t know of any work written with greater love," says Petr Popelka. Through a combination of his musicality and unwavering attention to detail, Popelka and the orchestra have shaped an exceptional rendition in this new recording.
This extraordinary recording is being released in celebration of the 200th anniversary of Smetana’s birth. Fans of spatial sound will be delighted to hear that Má vlast will also be available in Dolby Atmos format on streaming platforms starting January 2025.
