Má vlast, Slovanské tance op. 72 - 2CD

This two-CD set presents Václav Talich’s recordings of Bedřich Smetana’s Má vlast and Antonín Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances, Op. 72, captured under exceptional circumstances. Smetana’s Má vlast was performed on 5 June 1939 in the National Theatre in Prague, then in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia and regarded as a symbol of national unity. The occasion gave the performance a powerful emotional charge, and the enthusiastic audience ended the concert by spontaneously singing the Czech national anthem after prolonged applause. Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances were performed in the theatre four days later. Both recordings survived thanks to a live transmission to several European cities and were made by Norwegian Radio using the most advanced sound-recording technology of the period. In contrast to the euphoria of freedom reflected in Rafael Kubelík’s legendary 1990 recording, Talich’s Má vlast conveys defiance and determination to defend freedom. First released by the Czech Philharmonic, the recording was described by critic Rob Cowan in Gramophone as perhaps the most powerful Má vlast ever recorded.