Bedrich Smetana’s fabulous tone painting rich in legend is so uncommonly popular because behind the extremely vivid natural depiction there is a deeply felt program creating a place for it in the six-part cycle Má Vlast (My Fatherland).
Contemplating his fiftieth stage anniversary as a much-acclaimed pianist, Smetana published the version for piano four hands even prior to the release of the orchestral score. The Evelinde Trenkner – Sontraud Speidel Piano Duo has now undertaken this mammoth task and recorded the complete, very demanding cycle, revealing many a discovery in repertoire long thought to be so very familiar.
