In the history of Czech music there is hardly a more iconic work than Bedřich Smetana’s set of symphonic poems My Country. After all, it is an exceptional opus not only in the Czech context. Reactions from abroad often suggest that it is something for which the Czechs and their classical music tradition are to be envied. My Country became a reflection of the efforts for Czech national emancipation in the 19th century, and is one of the reasons why Smetana is considered a founding figure of the Czech musical tradition. Originally, it was not Smetana’s intention to perform the individual symphonic poems as a single work. Even today this is not the rule, and so the performance of the complete set is an exceptional and festive affair. programme Bedřich Smetana — My Country performers Prague Philharmonia Emmanuel Villaume — conductor More