Leoš Janáček was born on July 3, 1854 in Hukvaldy, Moravia and died August 12, 1928, in Moravská Ostrava.

While Janáček is regarded as one of the greatest Czech composers along with Smetana and Dvořák, he was very attracted to Russian culture and took inspiration from Russian music and literature in several of his works. Pohádka (literally translating to “Fairy Tale”), his only substantial composition for cello and piano, is loosely based on The Tale of Tsar Berendyey, an epic poem by Vasily Andreyevich Zhukovsky (1783–1852). Janáček sets the stage in a manuscript preface to the work:

“There once lived a king called Berendyey whose beard reached down to his knees. He had lived with his wife in perfect union for three years, but God had still not blessed them with any children, which grieved the king sorely. At this the king decided it was time to view his kingdom. So, he took leave of his wife and travelled for eight months.”

Janáček omits what befalls after this in his preface: the King does have a son, Prince Ivan, whose soul has been sacrificed to Kastchei, King of the Underworld. Ivan falls in love with Princess Maria, who happens to be Kastchei’s youngest daughter. Understandably, the King of the Underworld does not approve of the match, and subjects Ivan to several trials. With Maria’s help, Ivan succeeds, and the two lovers live happily ever after. While Pohádka was never explicitly stated to be a direct narration of the story, Janáček creates a sense of childlike wonder with wispy, hazy textures and sweet, lyrical melodies.