COULEURS DE BOHÊME

It is better known as the Moldau, but it is indeed this magnificent river that flows through Prague, the capital of ancient Bohemia, that we shall follow this evening as we set out to discover the two ambassadors of Czech music: Bedřich Smetana and Antonín Dvořák.

Smetana’s piano trio, a work brimming with lyricism that gives centre stage to the soaring passages of the violin, cello and piano, was conceived in a time of grief, following the premature death of the composer’s daughter in 1855. This trio stands as his first major chamber music work. And it undoubtedly influenced Antonín Dvořák, as the latter was engaged in 1862 at the Provisional Theatre whilst the opera house was undergoing reconstruction. During this period, Smetana was premiering his opera *Dalibor* there, which was regarded as Wagnerian.

In his Trio in F minor, composed in 1883 (a year before Smetana’s death), Dvořák instead echoes the music of Brahms, who had recently gained acclaim for his Slavonic Dances. He worked at length on this trio, determined to imbue it with his Slavic roots. This programme illustrates just how keen both composers were to highlight the distinctive features of the Central European style at a time when German music reigned supreme.