Smetana: Ma Vlast

I first heard this version of Vltava on Classic FM. Nikolaus Harnoncourt has prodcued a beautiful, rich, lush, swirling rendering. I also have the Jiri Belohlavek recording which is good though in comparison I find it angular and crashy at points. I recommend this Nikolaus Harnoncourt version as the better of the two.

Harnoncourt seems to be one of those gifted conductors who can take things slowly while still keeping the interest of the listener. In this live recording of Ma Vlast, Harnoncourt takes his time, but his involvement is incredibly strong. If you think of Ma Vlast as a cheery set of catchy folk tunes, you're in for a surprise. Harnoncourt suggests that the real world of Ma Vlast lies beyond the fun. Using the wonderful Vienna Philharmonic as his vehicle, he delves into the music, pulling out nostalgic qualities in a way that only he can do. In Harnoncourt hand's, Smetana's tone poems recall the fallen glory of his fatherland in a way that is almost reverent. Harnoncourt allows the music to breathe, which is often what causes his slow tempi. The waters of the Vltava will wash over your soul in waves; Bohemia's Field's and Grooves will have moments of almost eerie stillness. The whole Vienna Phil ravishes the ear, but the strings make the day, with a tone that could not be more suited to Harnoncourt's vision.That's not to say that this is a dull Ma Vlast. Harnoncourt introspection doesn't cause him to lose vision. With the Vienna Phil it should be granted that the climatic moments won't be lacking in merriment, but Harnoncourt goes the extra mile. The most striking thing about this interpretation is how he can offer wide variety throughout a poem, but not at the cost of clarity.I'll be the first to admit that this is not a good set if your main concern is fun. Harnoncourt asks us to take time, and while the time we take will be well spent, some would rather hear an interpretation that won't ask for as much concentration. I can see how one could have that kind of an opinion, but it's hard for me to feel that way myself, simply because it stirs my inner being to hear what is offered here.In closing, this is a remarkable set. Harnoncourt has achieved something very special.

This CD-set is around for some time but I can't forget a performance I attended in April 2010 of this cycle of symphonic poems by the celebrated Concertgebouw orchestra under mr. Harnoncourt himself. It was a bore. The performance was booed. Later I bought this CD's (eBay for God's sake) where you'll find the equally celebrated Wiener Philharmoniker under the same maestro. It seems mr. Harnoncourt, after all his Dvorak, Beethoven, Haydn and Johann Strauss sohn recordings with the Concertgebouw - has found a new toy: Smetana's music. Well, the understatement for this recording is: it's totally different from every other interpretation. I own, and will forever keep, Flor's reading with the Malaysian PO on the BIS label, which is exotic, erotic, fast, dynamic, lovely, positively convulsive and has that real Czech feel. That's all Harnoncourt's reading is NOT. He totally plays the piece to pieces. No coherence, strange attention for the weirdest detail, overall conception?, none, slow, boring, time to get to sleep. Here the Moldau is a quiet stream which flows slowly through the landscape and when it reaches the rapids - after around 3 hours of music making (it seems to take that long) - you won't find any sensation at all, when (if!) we reach Prague there's nothing of that majestic feeling you get with the Flor performance of broadening the music, the maestoso feel. The peasant wedding we meet has only drunkards and no dancers, they don't seem to enjoy themselves. Harnoncourt interprets it as an arranged marriage. The Bohemian Woods and Fields? Only wood, no gentle flowing fields, no flowers, only drab mud. Must have rained a lot in Vienna.... The Hussit hymne in Blanik should feel grandioso and maestoso (the original text goes like this: "so that finally with Him you will always be victorious" as a reference to the Czech state) but with Harnoncourt it is as if the Iron Curtain will be built up again immediately after the performance. No mr. Harnoncourt, go back to where you belong, don't touch Smetana. I wonder if the Czech will ever invite you to Prague if they'd listen the this recording; it's a shame.

Es ist die beste Aufnahme die ich kenne. Die Wiener Philharmoniker spielen wie immer unübertroffen, dazu noch unter Maestro Harnoncourt. Auch konnte ich dieses wunderschöne Werk mit gleicher Besetzung live im Musikverein erleben.

Beautiful music by one of my favorite composers.

Smetana's Ma Vlast is patriotic work that exploits nationalism but it can be challenging for today's interpreters to make it come alive instead of paying respect to a monument. Without definite ideas, the work is reduced to glibness. It's a common mistake to go for aloof grandeur, meaning the work becomes stately and dull. Zubin Mehta managed to finish the work in 70 minutes, but he sounded merely rushed and impatient--not the solution either. I was delighted to find Vaclav Smetacek's unjustly neglected reading on Supraphon, a recording that goes for sheer joy and momentum with the Czech Phil playing with infectious exuberance. (Timings can be arbitrary parameters, but Smetacek clocks in at 73 min.)Enter Nikolaus Harnoncourt, our dour-faced conductor known for his rethinking. Harnoncourt's refusal to follow the crowd can make him look alternately like a refined genius or a stubborn dissident. But in this case, Harnoncourt's ideas are decidedly worthy to my ears. He spots the need for interpretive involvement, and takes the work's challenges into consideration. His daring move is to dig below the surface, taking slower tempi and an often meditative mood. It's a dangerous tactic since it risks a feeling of ponderousness; if the conductor struggles with concurrent commitment, the pulse will sag and boredom will dominate. Harnoncourt transcends the many threats because he is always finding a way to say something new. Every phrase is carefully turned, but not to the point of crossing over into fussiness. The Vienna Phil is peerless in this music and they bathe the listener in their rich, autumnal tone.I can't sufficiently laud this recording. Harnoncourt takes us on an unforgettable journey that lets us feel the work's weight without being crushed by it. It's amazing Harnoncourt found success in his approach, but he did and the results are tantalizing.(Edited version of my review, April 2013)

Great conductors are rare enough, but even rarer are those who become much better with age. Right now I can think of three who are currently on the podium: James Levine, Fruhbeck de Burgos, and Harnoncourt. The last has always specialized in the maverick re-think of great composers--Bach, Mozart, Beethoven. Now he has begun to retract some of his more aggressive, eccentric, and perverse gestures. We are getting pure mature musicianship combined with originality.This Ma Vlast is a case in point. Czech music has always been one of Harnoncourt's strengths (odd that such smiling music brings out the best in such a dour person), and here not a single bar sounds like a cliche. Tempos tend to be slow so that Harnoncourt has time to make his points, and he is often somber or thoughtful where the usual course is extroverted high spirits. (If you expect Ma Vlast to be rollicking, you might find this reading a bit 'sullen,' to use the term favored by the Gramophone reviewer--I disagree, however.)Ma Vlast is hard to hold together. Each movement is appealing on its own, but with so much repetition and similar thematic development, I find it difficult to listen all the way through with interest. Harnoncourt solves that problem amazingly well for me--I couldn't stop listening to his ever-inventive phrasing and dramatic contrasts.Many listeners will still look to Kubelik as the specialist in this work. He's more exciting from moment to moment, but I'd rate Harnoncourt the more original and deeper interpreter. In addition, it's impossible to beat the plush Vienna Phil. caught in excellent recorded sound. In sum, a top choice in this work.

Stellte neulich mit Schrecken fest, dass meine CD-Sammlung nicht über "Die Moldau" von Friderich Smetana verfügt. Hier umgesehen und prompt fündig geworden. Die zweier CD-Box beinhaltet darüber hinaus fantastisch eingespielte Werke dieses großartigen Komponisten. Eines der besten Orchester der Welt - die "Wiener Philharmoniker" brillieren hier unter der Leitung von Nikolaus Hanoncourt.Hörgenuss pur, schnelle Lieferung, unversehrte Verpackung - so soll's sein!