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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.พ. 2025
- Song Link: • Smetana: Vltava (The M...
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![Smetana - The Moldau [analysis]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/eZsHGDvJWTA/mqdefault.jpg)
Bedřich Smetana composed this piece when he was already deaf.
At the end of the score is the note: "I am completely deaf."
How glorious to hear musical reactors reacting to fine classical music! Thank you!
This is a national theme, representing the River Moldau as it travels along its way, thus the swirling sounds as you travel along the route, and then also punctuated with thunder and storms and also the torrents as you traveled along the river, just a beautiful trip.
Sounds wonderful!
This was the first piece that made me fall in love with classical music. You can never listen to it too much.
Smetana, who composed "Vltava", was a musician belonging to the Romantic school of the 19th century, during which music expressing personal feelings and narrative music increased as a broad public began to listen. Smetana composed "Vltava" and other "Má Vlast" pieces about his native Czech Republic, and became known as a musician of the "Czech National School".
Listening to the music again, it is apparent that progressive rock often draws from classical music. This is because many of the artists were from music academies. Also, ELP played "Pictures at an Exhibition", which was cool at the time of the original composition by the orchestra. I have been surprised recently that there are actually many cool pieces in classical music that give me goosebumps. Beethoven's "Destiny", for example, was thrilling and cool. I highly recommend you to listen to it as well.
Hi JP. DP from UK. This is a true Bohemian Rhapsody! Love the beginning where that beautiful main melody is played over the busy strings that really evoke flowing water. The river Moldau/Vltava flows through Prague, capital of the Czech Republic (and formerly Bohemia), and I've visited this enchanting city a few times. On one visit, we took a boat out on the river, and put my back out rowing (hooray for travel insurance!). As you say, this piece forms part of the patriotic masterwork Ma Vlast (My Country), which I've seen performed live several times. Incidentally, the crashing chords at 13.54 recur throughout Ma Vlast.
Nice to hear the river Moldau in music. I think my favorite classic piece. Meditative indeed
Just for some trivia, Smetana (сметана) means cream in Slavic.
Tchaikovsky's String Serenade or Mendelsohn's "Overture to a Midsummer Night's Dream" would be other gorgeous orchestral pieces.
Smetana's Moldau depicts the course of the river of the same name celebrating both, the beauty of his homecountry as well as national customs.
Thanks for the magnificent morning music, it soothes the Austrian side of me! From a burnt out Bohemian bum! Peace & Love.(R.I.P. Jimmy Buffet, see you at the mullet-toss in Heavens Flora-Bama!)
To me, this is sheer poetry. Watching this performance of a beautifully composed and played orchestral work brings tears to my eyes! I was in jr. high school band (5yrs, 1st clarinet) and know what it takes to coordinate 50-or-so instruments/players to do justice to the work ... and to understand what it means to an audience ... and in honor of the composer. Lucious! And BRAVO!!!
Hey Justin. I just wanted to thank you. Posting three videos a day is an amazing gift to your subscribers and it's much appreciated. I've thoroughly enjoyed day one and now I'm about to enjoy your reaction to Smetana - Vltava 'The Moldau'. I'd never have listened to this piece of music if it wasn't for your channel.
I really appreciate that Paul :) I'm happy to
The Moldau/Vltava is all about the flow of the Vltava River - at the beginning a small gurgling trickle, then a stream, gradually more tributaries are added. Further on, the river is huge and flows through a really beautiful region...and someone could definitely write more about this part. A magical theme almost at the end, the Vltava River flows through Prague. And finally, there is the small quiet bit, it is after the Vltava has left Prague.
Thanks for your reaction, it was a pleasure to watch.
I love Smetana ( his name means sour cream in Czech ) especially his string quartets. The main theme from Vltava is used as the Israeli National Anthem.
Hello, I am Czech and I love Bedrich Smetana - name "smetana" is primarily used for a sweet cream here (used for pastries, sweet sauces etc), sour cream is the secondary product of fermentation 😉
I am a longtime rocker in a rock band but can't live without my yearly subscription to my local classical concert programs in a truly majestic concert hall. That English rockers were brought up with classical music may be the reason there was a British invasion of America only starting with the Beatles. If you took your wife to classical concerts in a proper classical music hall, where the music can be fully impactful, she would appreciate it and you, I guarantee it.
Quite a nice pedestrian rendition of this much loved and popular piece. When you get to hear a well recorded top end orchestra play this it will take you to another level.
Don't worry about only listening to this part of the 6 of "Ma Vlast" - this is by far the most popular one and is often played singularly. The whole "Ma Vlast" is good but you can feel a bit exhausted by it all at the end!
You definitely love the full rich orchestral sound of the Romantic era from all your reactions so far...I would urge you try something a little earlier from the Classical era (Haydn, Mozart, Schubert and yes Beethoven who straddles the Classical and Romantic divide) and see what you think of slightly smaller chamber orchestra forces.
If you like them go a bit further back and try the Baroque era (JS Bach, Handel, Vivaldi etc.)
Very soothing - for some more natural impressionistic symphonic pieces, I would recommend Sibelius' Symphony No. 7. It's all in one movement, without any pauses. John Lennon used a bit of it in The Beatles' "Revolution 9".
Just spectacular! That's a great one, and a great performance. And now I have to put in my plug again for Sibelius 5th Symphony as the next classical piece.
This is from a set of 6 symphonic poems which represent some facet of bohemian history and culture, all of the pieces are great. I recommend you check them all out.
A full symphony playing a serious composition. There's nothing else like it.
If you say sme - tana, I understand it means something like "sour cream". This is a tone poem about a river
Отлично 😅
Love it! What a great way to start the day. Thank you so much for that. I love how you're just adding in a bit of classical music here and there. It doesn't get the respect it deserves these days. I have to put in another request/plug for "Scheherazade" by Rimsky-Korsakov. It's a whole album but well worth the time invested.
Yes, yes, yes! Scheherazade - but this one: th-cam.com/video/17lEx0ytE_0/w-d-xo.html
I'm very happy you're continuing with the classical pieces. There's a whole world of things to listen to. I was going to watch this yesterday but got distracted making a CD of Jimmy Buffett's music.
Been a huge fan of Ma Vlast for a long time, especially The High Castle and The Moldau. It's program music -- it follows the path of the river Vltava from its origins in the mountains (as a warm spring and a cold one) down through Bohemia, through Prague, past the High Castle Vysherad (which has its own movement in Ma Vlast) and onward. There's a ton of Czech nationalist symbolism in the work that you can't really get without liner notes. Along with Beethoven's 6th and Scheherezade, this is my favorite program music of all.
For your continuing journey into classical music, let me recommend a somewhat deeper cut: Symphony #3 ("Organ") by Camille Saint-Saens. It's much less well-known than Beethoven's 3rd/5th/6th/7th/9th or Mozart's 40/41 or Mendelssohn's #4 or Brahms' 3rd or 4th or Dvorak's 8th or 9th (all wonderful), or even a couple of Tchaikovsky or Schumann symphonies, but I think it's as great as any symphony ever written.
Another grand reaction, thank you. As you begin to dabble in classical music, I urge you to dive into Mahler. The main problem would be that his greatest works are seriously long. I think you would be astonished by his third symphony, but you would need to split it over two long song Saturdays: the epic first movement one week and the rest the next. The 1st and 4th are shorter, just under an hour each, and gripping emotional dramas. Maybe the best place to start would be his late song cycle. Das Lied Von der Erde (Song of the Earth). Again about an hour long, but you could take one song at a time, as though it were a prog album. Yes, go for it! If you want to keep with the Czechs, then Janacek's Sinfonietta would be the most logical next step: you'll recognise the opening theme as the basis of Emerson Lake and Palmer's Knife Edge from their first album.
I heartily endorse these recommendations.
I feel it may be better to build up to Mahler, see how the symphony developed from the classical period to the romantic, and how Mahler sort of typifies peak romanticism, the final version of the romantic symphony in all its grandiosity. I think you understand Mahler better when you see what he has built on.
Yes, I was wondering that myself. The nice problem is that there is so much great music, even great symphonic music, before we even consider concerti, quartets, sonatas or vocal works. Perhaps Beethoven's 3rd or 7th could be a way in... Personally, I now love Haydn, but I could not get into him until after I had been swept away by Beethoven, Schubert, Bruckner and, first as a teenager, Mahler. I worked backwards.@@mjdillaha
Appreciate the suggestions :)
@@JustJP there’s so much to discover, but without getting crazy with it, I think if you listen to Beethoven’s symphonies, that would be a great foundation to branch off from.
Also, I suggest you learn “sonata allegro” form to help you understand what is going on in the music, most symphonies and concertos have their first movement in sonata allegro form.
Ooh this. Re classical music, so much of it (far from a bad thing). So many composers, pieces etc, and not all absolute household names. I previewed this, didn't recognise it when announced. That said, soon as it started, recognised it immediately. One of those i've heard numerous times but couldn't have named for a million quid. A beautiful piece. * Re household names, struggling with fact Beethoven's yet to premier. I'd recommend his 6th symphony, the Pastoral.
The Pastoral is my personal favorite.
The Pastoral gets my vote too.
It's played 10X a month on every local classical station in the US.
@@facts2741The Beethoven, or the Smetana.... I'm guessing the Beethoven :)
@@jfergs.3302 No. This little Smetana piece is shorter than a full symphony. Stations often use it as a filler for the last 15 minutes of a segment. Can't do that with a full symphony, and most stations don't break them up and play just 1 mvmt.
Hey Justin, great reaction ! I'm really glad you liked The Moldau (and I was pretty sure you would 😉). Here's a few other suggestions I think you would like : Paul Dukas "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" for its fantasy narrative, Peter Tchaikovsky "1812 Overture" and Alexander Borodine "Polovtsian Dances" for their sheer epicness, and J.S. Bach "Toccata and Fugue in D minor BWV 565" for the pure virtuosity.
Also Ippolatov-Ivanov's "Caucasian Sketches" for melodic descriptive scene-setters.
Disney has two Fantasia movies based on classical music pieces. Great music and beautiful to watch.
Diolch JP. Gotta hear this every now and again. So.... Proggy! I heard as a school 17 year old studying Drama and played it along side Bizet's Arliesienne Suite on a mix tape every day until I fell deep in l*** with my pen pal veggie female friend who went to study in Edinburgh. I always got the two mixed up back then.
I relate to it even more now as I regard Young Smetena as a Romantic Underdog , living in the shadows of Beet, Moz and Tchaik.
Not unlike Budgie really!
Your pronunciation of Smetana's name was almost right in the beginning (btw. the meaning is "Cream"). That thing from the computer would be written as "Smetna".
And Vltava quite well too.
Yep..almost like an anthem here... It really feels like the river from source, through creeks and meadows to troubled waters and over spilling in floods...
And this one is a Slovenian youth orchestra... Gimnazije is something like a highschool .. IN czech its "gymnazium" = Students are either taught in the same elementary school as their first stage, or at an eight-year academy (Czech: osmileté gymnázium)), or at a six-year academy (Czech: šestileté gymnázium).
I truly recommend you reviewing Dvořák's Slavonic dances and Smetana's Bartered bride
This excellent ensemble is well worth following on TH-cam!
I'm very disappointed that the camera never showed the mosh pit.
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade.
I think with classical music pieces it's best to read up on it beforehand so you get an insight on what it's about, the derivation of the main melody and so on. When I studied opera to better understand the form/genre I learned that you don't want to be surprised by the content, just the presentation. It's a lot to take in, all those instruments working at once.
'Tis a tone poem for a river.
You might try some Aaron Copland. Perhaps "Appalachian Spring". There is a live version conducted by Alan Gilbert and the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra that is good.
Sorry, his name is pronounced SMETANA ! Person, who advised pronounce his name “ Smetna” , is definitely not Czech.
Listen to The "In the Dead of Night" Suite on UK's Debut Album. Bruford, Holdsworth, Wetton and Jobson are phenomenal together. Progressive Rock at it's best.
Heres the whole album :) I've also reacted to Danger Money
th-cam.com/play/PLk5U1pT6RIR1B3HNhRnZJfxcr8j_5YJJW.html
What is interesting that if this written today, there would be no section depicting the rapids. Because they are gone. They damned up the river and now there is a lake where the rapids were.
So Smetana immortalized them in music, even though they don't exist any longer.
Too bad though that someone recommended you a performance of a 3rd rate student orchestra instead of one by real pros. They play that as if this was a reading rehearsal.
Yeah, like jfergs, I thought that this was completely new to me but no, quite the opposite, but I don't know why the main tune is so familiar. Reading the Wiki page doesn't help as I'm not particularly au fait with the various sources and uses of the piece that are cited. Maybe it's part of a classical medley or theme tune I used to hear as a child, I dunno. Fairly evocative and obviously good quality but I don't need to hear it again.
Smetana was right. No Smetna 😄
Exactly!
Piggy in the middle.
The rutles.
'I Must Be In Love' The Rutles.
Lovin' the persistance. Keep up the good work, you'll get there :)
The main theme is based on this Italian folk melody from the 17th century:
th-cam.com/video/KK1Im3cvpz8/w-d-xo.htmlsi=LkggR1ZnRcGeng1J
BTW, the Israeli national anthem uses this tune as well!
"Ole Audiophile returns: Hey JP, I listen to a whole lot of classical music daily. I'll offer this bit of advice to anyone who cares to listen. Orchestras are often subject to the whims of the conductor. What I've learned of late fidelity & content wise is you are better off hearing it on a monstrous pipe organ in an epic listening environment. A few artist I'll recommend right off the top are The Scott Brothers Duo, Xavier Varnus, Richard McVeigh, Paul Fey, and Gert Von Hoef just to get you started. These artists will simply blow your mind & the halls they perform in are legendary beyond belief.
15 Famous Organ Pieces on 10 Magnificent Pipe Organs by Richard McVeigh/pipe organ.
Of course, organ players never add a personal part on their interpretation. And of course, the composers did not know that their music should never be played by an orchestra.
@@maraboo72 I never suggested that, only that typically one voice controlling how the piece is paced & properly portrayed, not tto mention dynamics of the instrument as well as the aocoustics of many cathedrials far exceeds that of many concert halls.
@@davidlane1169 What a weird thing to suggest...
One of the most boring pieces in the standard orchestral repertoire. Hoping you get a little more adventurous. You've done the most standard pieces by Vaughan Williams, Ravel, Dvorak, and now Smetana. They're all things that high school orchestras play at festival. Try listening to some works that have some real virtuosity but are still accessible....Beethoven 6, Mahler 1 or 5, Shostakovich 5 or 9, Bartok Concerto for Orchestra, so many more. And they're all absolute FIRE to experience live or watch live vids of.
Lay off the gatekeeping.I like all of the pieces you recommend, but if I was someone new to classical music, I would be turned off by the condescending tone.
@@boq780_2.0 Fix yourself instead of trying to tell anybody else what to do. Be a grown up.
@@facts2741 Be a grown up. Listen to EdgarVarése, Henry Duttileux.
@@facts2741 The irony of responding like this after telling JP what to do ey? Intentional I'm sure.
@dopaminecloud English please
Ah, "The Moldau". One of the great "water music" pieces along with Mike Oldfield's "The Lake", Pekka Pohjola's "Waves" and Deep Purple's "Smoke on the water". 😉
Along with Talk Talk's 'After The Flood'.
Yeah, probably many others too. There's of course a piece about the Danube (Donau) river too.
and let's not forget George F Handel's Water Music, of course. Deffo one for JP's classical playlist.
'Dirty Old River, Must You Keep Rolling, Flowing Through The Night?' (The Kinks, Waterloo Sunset). That's about the River Thames In London. Favourite river song is Big River by Jimmy Nail, about the River Tyne that flows through Newcastle, UK. Features Mark Knopfler on guitar. Not forgetting River Man by Nick Drake that Justin is reacting to later this month.
The beautiful album Oceanic by Vangelis is fitting too… Sea 🌊 really 1 with the music