Descending through Bohemian forests to throw itself into the Elba in the Prague Valley, the Vltava has led the city's development: Prague's oldest areas were established by adapting to its movements and its sometimes capricious moods. One only needs to listen to the second movement of Ma Vlast to understand how Smetana's melodies translate the river's diversity and majesty as it cuts through the jewel box that is Prague.