Recorded in the Smetana Hall of the Municipal House, Prague, 12 May, 1990.The triumph of truth and hope is one way to describe that special moment experienced by the orchestra and the public (including President Vaclav Havel) in sold-out Smetana Hall at the Municipal House in Prague on the evening of 12 May 1990. It was the opening concert of the first Prague Spring Festival to be held in freedom after 42 years of Communist totalitarianism. Rafael Kubelik led the Czech Philharmonic in a performance of Smetana's My Country in order to celebrate the renewal of freedom in his Czechoslovakia. Maestro Kubelik had refused to return to his homeland after the Communist putsch in February 1948, and his answer to repeated invitations was always: No, not as long as the country is not free. He became a world-famous conductor, but he ended his active career in 1985 because of illness. Five years later, however, he could no longer refuse the invitation, and with the expenditure of great effort got himself back into shape and returned to the conductor's podium. The moment of joy from his return home and from the country's liberation was clearly worth it. Thanks to the Supraphon recording team, the thousands of listeners who have succumbed to the magic of this legendary recording can still relive this unique moment and now devoted fans of vinyl can do so as well. Kubelik's My Country has received all due care as regards both the audio quality (DMM, 180 g virgin vinyl) and the paraphernalia and packaging of the LP.
S**E
Pure Patriotic Understanding
I have personally adored this hugely underestimated symphonic cycle since my teens, and have never understood the relative lack of popularity and respect outside of it's homeland. Factor in the dreadful personal crisis of Smetana's life and circumstances - and it becomes a tragedy it is not featured as much as it surely should be.. So what of this performance? There can be no doubt of Kubelik's deep understanding of the entire cycle - it is mature, powerful, respectful of the work's visions, and the interpretation has a sense of space with moments of great beauty, especially in From Bohemian Fields and Groves. The drama and at times almost relentless dance figures, are also evocatively caught. Perhaps Tabor is the greatest test of the six movements, with it's mono-thematic rhetoric - but Kubelik's judgement of tempi and orchestral balance are superb. So why not five stars? The recording. Either Smetana Hall in Prague has a monumental "ambience" which does not sit well outside of real life, or the engineers factored in too much resonance. Either way, much detail in the writing and superb playing of the Czech Phil is simply lost in a general wash of sound - and this on a system that is quite analytical and clear. If it were not for this, we should be talking of a Great Recording of the Century. If you put sheer music foremost, then buy it and love it - but if you also want demonstration sound quality, then hesitate.
M**N
A superb performance.
Recorded live at the opening concert of the Prague Spring Festival in May 1990; this is a tremendous rendition of Bedrich Smetana's symphonic poem cycle "Ma Vlast" by Rafael Kubelik and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. The renditions here are magnificently performed with vitality, warmth and depth. Recorded at Smetana Hall of the Municipal House, Prague; Supraphon's digital sound-reproduction is well balanced both tonally and spatially but does lack a little in opulence. Nevertheless, this is made up for in sheer excitement and poise. A truly fantastic release!
M**S
Superb Ma Vlast
Great recording of one of my favourite orchestral pieces.
G**S
Superb, but ...
.... hunt down the DVD version, the best Ma Vlast in any medium. There's also an alternative performance he gave outdoors in Prague, which is also findable [and downloadable :-) ]
M**R
Smetana's Ma Vlast by the Czech Philharmonic
The purchase of a piece of music I love has been made all the better by this brilliant rendition. It was recommended to me and I wasn't disappointed - I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I**L
fantastic!
has to be one of the finest recordings ever of this underrated masterpiece!,such a pity its not heard more often in the concert hall!
A**K
Five Stars
Superb music, superb recording, superb service
A**D
this was a good reminder of the atmosphere I experienced there
Just returned from Prague, this was a good reminder of the atmosphere I experienced there.
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