EMH Classical Music - Spotlight On “A Trip to Prague”
Welcome to Prague! This month, EMH Classical Music puts the spotlight on A Trip to Prague, EMH’s first album to commemorate music from a specific geographical region.
Prague, the largest and capitol city of the Czech Republic, has a long history rich in culture and music. Proud of its musical heritage and centuries-old influence throughout the European region, Prague offers music lovers a daily supply of symphonies, operas, and chamber concerts in theaters, concert halls, clubs and churches throughout the city.
A Trip to Prague endeavors to take you into Prague, introduce you to or reacquaint you with the works of its greatest influential composers and share with you the pride, love, admiration and respect for classical music that Czechs celebrate every day.
Prague’s most notable composers include Bedrich Smetana (1824-1884), Antonín Dvorak (1841-1904) and Leos Janacek (1854-1928), and on A Trip to Prague, you will hear the works of Smetana, Dvorak and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791).
Why Mozart? Mozart, a native of neighboring Austria, found himself and his works loved by Czechs, particularly at a time when he was less-than-appreciated in his homeland. Mozart premiered a number of his works in Prague, including Symphony No. 38 in D major, K. 504, also known as the Prague Symphony, followed by his operas Le Nozze di Figaro and Don Giovanni. The Czechs' love for Mozart is celebrated today as Don Giovanni, which Mozart conducted and premiered in 1787, is still frequently performed at its home, the Estates Theatre.
Bedrich Smetana is widely regarded as the father of Czech music. One of his most famous works, Ma Vlast (My Fatherland), is a composition of six symphonic poems depicting love of country, national pride, political strife, and beauty of the countryside. Ma Vlast’s second poem, Vltava, widely known as Die Moldau, is one of Smetana’s most recognized works today. It describes the life of the Moldau River as it travels through the region. Czechs have such a love for this work that when visitors fly Czech Airlines, Vltava is played as the plane touches down!
Antonín Dvorak is most well known for his works Symphony No. 9 in E Minor “From the New World”, also known as New World Symphony, Slavonic Dances, and String Quartet No. 12, also known as “American”. A close friend of Johannes Brahms, Dvorak was greatly influenced by his works, particularly Brahms’ Hungarian Dances, upon which Slavonic Dances was loosely modeled. Dvorak found great success in London, the United States and even Russia, but returned to his homeland where he spent his final years composing in Prague.
Join EMH as we take you on a musical journey with A Trip to Prague. Feel the music, imagine sitting in the Estates Theatre watching Don Giovanni for the first time, feel the Moldau flow through Prague, and embrace the inspiration of Dvorak, Smetana and Mozart. Welcome to Prague!
Download A Trip to Prague – Spotlight Price $4.99
Listen and watch Vltava on YouTube. YouTube.com/EMHClassicalMusic, Bedrich Smetana: Vltava, (Die Moldau)
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