Má vlast (My Country) is a cycle of six symphonic poems by Bedřich Smetana, composed between 1874 and 1879 as the composer was losing his hearing. Each poem portrays a different facet of Bohemia - its landscapes, history, and legends - with Vltava (The Moldau) being the most celebrated. Since 1952 the complete cycle has opened the Prague Spring festival every 12 May, the anniversary of Smetana's death. The work is regarded as the cornerstone of Czech national music, and its enduring international standing was underlined when the Czech Philharmonic's 2024 recording under Semyon Bychkov won the BBC Music Magazine Orchestral Award 2025.
Prague Spring 2026 (81st season) traditionally opened with Má vlast; the cycle was performed by Petr Popelka with the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra.
The recording of Má vlast with the Czech Philharmonic under Semyon Bychkov (Pentatone, 2024) won the BBC Music Magazine award in the orchestral recordings of the year 2025 category.
At the 80th Prague Spring (May 12-13, 2025), Má vlast opened the festival performed by the Czech Philharmonic under Semyon Bychkov.
A three-album recording of Má vlast and other orchestral works by Smetana with Petr Popelka and the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra (Supraphon) has been released; British Gramophone called it outstanding.
In 2025, the orchestral world commemorates the 150th anniversary of the creation of Vltava, the second poem of the cycle Má vlast; the Czech Philharmonic included it in programs in Prague and on tours throughout East Asia.
