Smetana: Orchestral Works (My Country, Richard III., Wallenstein's Camp, Hakon Jarl, Triumph Symphony etc.)

The major orchestral works of Bedřich Smetana are gathered together on 3 CDs for the first time. In addition to My Country, the cornerstone work of Czech national music, and Richard III, Wallenstein's Camp, and Hakon Jarl, the three symphonic poems from Smetana's "Swedish Period," we have an opportunity to hear the lesser-known Triumph Symphony in E major (Smetana's only work in this genre) as well as a selection of popular pieces including the Ceremonial Prelude in C major, which was played on the day that the cornerstone of the National Theater was laid (May 16, 1868). The style of Smetana's symphonic works made a fundamental contribution to the identity of Czech national music, and the PRSO and its principal conductor Vladimír Válek are experienced and respected performers of the Czech symphonic literature.