Bedřich Smetana (1824–1884): Czech Composer, National Hero

Bedřich Smetana (1824–1884) is one of the most important composers in the history of European music. His work is directly related to the Czech national movement and takes up motifs and themes of Czech mythology, history and topography in a variety of ways. Probably most famous to this day is the symphonic poem „Vltava“ („The Vltava“) from the cycle „My Fatherland“ (Czech: „Má vlast“), which is a spectacular musical translation of the course of the Vltava and the landscapes and towns it passes through. The video gives a brief overview of the life and work of the composer, who soon became a national hero.