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Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884) finished his full-length cycle of symphonic poems My Country (1872-1879) when he was already deaf and so he could never hear his work. The more we are astonished by the composer’s conceptual generosity and sound imagination. The six parts of the cycle contain unique images of the countryside (e.g. the river Vltava) as well as moments from the history of the Czech nation (e.g. the royal seat Vyšehrad).

On the day of Bedřich Smetana’s death on 12th May, My Country always opens the International Music Festival Prague Spring. Usually, the concert is performed by a Czech orchestra and a Czech conductor. In the year 2000 it was Maestro Petr Altrichter, who conducted the Prague Symphony Orchestra. After working with several Czech orchestras Maestro Altrichter’s career started developing at the post of chief conductor of the Prague Symphony Orchestra, later he led the orchestra in Constance and now he is chief conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Apart from that, he regularly appears with a number of leading international orchestras.

The recording of the concert is preceded by basic information about the origin of the piece.