Fibich: Orchestral Works, Vol. 3

Less well known than his compatriots Dvořák and Smetana, Zdenĕk Fibich was however one of the greatest Czech composers of his day. These symphonic poems span the best part of his career, starting with Othello, which emphasizes the intertwined fates of Shakespeare’s main characters. More nationalist in character, Záboj, Slavoj and Luděk impressed Smetana while he was working on Má vlast, while Toman and the Wood Nymph is an evocative and tragic tale of supernatural romantic yearnings. The Tempest encapsulates Shakespeare’s story of storm, shipwreck and reconciliation, and the ‘symphonic picture’ Spring depicts the season in all its variety.