Revisiting Smetana: Vltava

Composer: Bedrich Smetana (born 1824)
Title: Vltava (aka The Moldau)

I posted this video in a previous posting, but I'll post it again because it is such a beautiful piece. Also, I have more information on what is going on in this piece. As I mentioned before, Vltava is a symphonic poem: it "draws" a picture with music about the river Moldau in the Czech Republic.

The first thing you will hear is the Source of the River Theme. Two smaller rivers are flowing into one river.
1:02:  This is the River Theme. It will show up several times in this piece.
2:58:  This is the Hunting Scene. You can hear the trumpets from the hunting party along the river.
3:48:  This is the Peasant Wedding. Smetana uses melodies that sound like folk songs to "show" a wedding on the banks of the river.
5:43:  This is the Nocturnal Scene. You can actually hear moonbeams dancing off the river water!
8:09:  We're back to the River Theme!
8:57:  We're now at the St. John Rapids. Smetana uses clashing sounds in the orchestra to help us imagine the rapids.
10:15: Back to the River Theme!
10:52: This is the Ancient Castle Theme. Smetana actually borrowed this from another of his pieces.
11:18: We are getting towards the end of the piece. You can hear the river disappearing in the distance.