The Gothenburg Symphony have produced a fascinating film, shot in 360°, which offers you a privileged position in the front row of the orchestra directly in front of their conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali. The first five minutes are introduced by Lisa Ford, the Principal Horn of the GSO, who also comments on various aspects of the orchestra's rehearsal of the work, including Rouvali's expressive conducting style, before a complete performance of 'Vltava' (Die Moldau in German) from Smetana's Má Vlast.

If you want to explore Smetana's Má Vlast further, we recommend you try Václav Talich's extraordinary live recording with the Czech Philharmonic from 1939. This remastered recording won a Gramophone Special Historic Award in 2012, and was taped less than three months after the Nazis had occupied Prague. As our critic, Rob Cowan, described it: 'Each performance is tailed by a thunderous volley of applause but come the finale, where the two main themes combine in defiant counterpoint, the packed hall’s response suggests the thrill of an Olympic victory. And that’s not all: suddenly, after roughly a minute’s worth of ecstatic applause, the entire audience spontaneously breaks into the Czech national anthem and the full import of what we have just heard registers.'