Kirill Petrenko conducts Smetana’s “The Moldau”

For many, Bedřich Smetana’s The Moldau is their very first encounter with classical music. In a musical language that is particularly appealing and vivid, this symphonic poem tells the story of the Czech Republic’s greatest river, which the composer immortalised in his cycle Má vlast. The artistry with which Smetana captured the movement of the water – from the tentative trickle of the spring to a raging torrent – is unrivalled. With finely nuanced detail, the Berliner Philharmoniker’s performance of this much-loved work under the baton of their chief conductor Kirill Petrenko has an appeal that is irresistible.