Observations placeholder
Smetana - Ma Vlast - Šárka
Identifier
025217
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
Má vlast (meaning "My homeland" in the Czech language) is a set of six symphonic poems composed between 1874 and 1879 by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana. While it is often presented as a single work in six movements and – with the exception of Vltava – is almost always recorded that way, the six pieces were conceived as individual works.
The third poem was finished on 20 February 1875 and is named for the female warrior Šárka, a central figure in the ancient Czech legend of The Maidens' War. Šárka ties herself to a tree as bait and waits to be saved by the princely knight Ctirad, deceiving him into believing that she is an unwilling captive of the rebelling women. Once released by Ctirad, who has quickly fallen in love with her, Šárka serves him and his comrades with drugged mead and once they have fallen asleep she sounds a hunting horn: an agreed signal to the other women. The poem ends with the warrior maidens falling upon and murdering the sleeping men. It was first performed under the baton of Adolf Čech (sources disagree whether this was on 10 December 1876 or 17 March 1877)
A description of the experience
B. Smetana - Má Vlast - 3/6 - Šárka
Autor/Author: Bedřich Smetana
Název skladby/Title: Šárka
Orchestr/Orchestra: Česká Filharmonie/Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
Dirigent/Conductor: Václav Talich