Tales from the Stave: Smetana - Ma Vlast

Frances Fyfield examines the original handwritten manuscript of Bedrich Smetana's Ma Vlast, as well as some of the Czech composer's sketches, as she unearths the creative process behind the piece. The presenter is joined by conductor Jakub Hrusa and violinist Magdalena Maslanova as they explore the work, finding out how the piece acted as a patriotic hymn to the country during Austro-Hunagrian rule, and discover margin notes that suggest the composer was losing his hearing