- Smetana’s symphonic poem, Richard III, was written between
1857–58 and was inspired by the Shakespeare play. - In 1851, Smetana attended a performance of Richard III in Prague (fun fact – it was the first of Shakespeare’s plays to be translated into Czech) and became inspired to write an orchestral theme centered around a work of literature.
- Smetana wrote the following about the work:
- “It consists of a single movement [in three connected sections], in which the mood more or less follows the action of the play: the attainment of a goal after all obstacles have been surmounted, the triumph and final downfall of the hero. There is a theme in the bass representing the hero, and a second motif for his adversaries . . .”1
Sources
- Janet Horvath, “Shakespeare and Music X – Richard III,” Interlude (2016), accessed January 27, 2025, https://interlude.hk/music-food-love-play-shakespeare-music-x-richard-iii/.
Cut IDs
23145