Polednice

Besides being one of his more evocative works, Dvořák’s symphonic poem The Noon Witch is a staple of October concert programmes due to its Halloween-friendly theme. The story that inspires it is not for kids, though—the composition is based on “Polednice”, a poem by Dvořák’s countryman Karel Jaromír Erben based on the grim folk tale Lady Midday. A mischievous boy (represented by the oboe) is warned by his mother that the Noon Witch (evoked by bass clarinet) will come for him if he misbehaves. At noon (marked by a dozen bell notes), the witch does indeed arrive, and the mother leaps onto the son to protect him, then faints. Later, the father arrives and finds that the fainted mother has fatally smothered the son. While not all of the music is overtly spooky, the melodic and dynamic shifts closely mirror the action, and doomy timpani rumbles and sudden anxious bursts of melody mark many of the dramatic turns.