Description
This chamber symphony was written as a result of the foundation of Charter 77. The composer’s outrage over the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 led
him to write this piece as a symbol of the importance of folk culture in the will to resist an invader. The passage of time has proved this to be true, not
only in Czech Republic and Slovakia, but also in the Baltic states, Romania and Poland, the folk music of which countries the composer has also written
orchestral dance suites.
There are four movements:-
[untitled]: a homage to Czech and Slovak music, written in sonata from and containing quotations from several composers, especially the nationalist Janacek.
Playtime: A naive tune develops into a number of more agitated episodes which culminate in a lullaby, which is repeated to end the movement.
For Fatherless Children: This is a set of variations on a folk melody from Moravia depicting the lament of an orphan.
Summer Fair: Written in a mixture of sonata and rondo form, it uses a folk tune from eastern Slovakia as its main theme. It ends on a note of optimism, which
the composer even at that time thought would be proven justified.
The zip file here contains the individual parts - the score is available separately