Classical Piece of the Week: Vltava

I've had a love for classical music ever since I started taking music history lessons. I feel like classical music is not appreciated enough in the now modern world, which is more dominated by pop, rap, etc. Now don't get me wrong, I love listening to all kinds of "modern" music, but I feel like classical music is so underrated. A lot of people think of classical music as slow, boring, and with absolutely no excitement. But if you look further and deeper into the music, it's so much more than a different bunch of notes played in some kind of rhythm. The piece can be calm and serene, or strong and dramatic. That's the thing, one of the reasons that makes classical music so amazing is the diversity. From the middle-ages, to classical era, to the romantic era, and so on. Another thing is the effort. The effort that these composers put into their pieces is undeniably great. These pieces are like finely crafted works of art. Masterpieces.

I hope that these posts will inspire you to go discover the world of classical music, because trust me, you don't know what you're missing on. :)


Finally, let's get on with the classical piece of the week. This week, I have chosen "Vltava".
It's composed by Bedrich Smetana, a Czech composer who was a naturally gifted pianist and an incredible composer. "Vltava" is symphonic poem, which is a kind of composition meant to illustrate a non-musical content (for example: a poem or a painting). In the case of "Vltava", the pictures evoked are those of one of Bohemia's great river: Vltava, of course. The piece starts with a wonderful introduction by the flutes, accented by pizzicato from the strings. And then the main melody is heard. I absolutely adore the main melody, it actually gets me a little emotional every time I hear it. You can almost feel that flowing feeling of the river just by listening to the music. An incredible piece. Enjoy!