Dvořák is the preëminent Czech composer of the nineteenth century, and perhaps of all of his successors, as well. This is no small achievement, considering the number of great musicians–Mozart, for example—who thought of Bohemia as the most musical country in Europe. Even today, one can hardly get on a streetcar in Prague without stepping around a double bass. Americans today, if they...
Carnival, op. 92, B. 169
Antonín Dvořák owed his initial recognition to Johannes Brahms, who singled him out in a composition contest, the prize of which enabled the talented young composer to spend time in Vienna studying composition further. Dvořák’s music bears some elements of resemblance to that of Brahms, for he wrote stunningly well in the...
Cello Concerto in B Minor, op. 104, B. 191
Completed in 1895, Dvořák’s cello concerto (actually his second for that instrument, but the first is an early work not nearly as popular as the second) was the last concerto that he composed. The concerto was not one of his favorite genres, notwithstanding his own ability as a public performer. The Violin Concerto in A Minor and this cello concerto are concert favorites these days, but the...
In Nature’s Realm, op. 91, B. 168
Dvořák is the preëminent Czech composer of the nineteenth century, and perhaps of all of his successors, as well. This is no small achievement, considering the number of great musicians–Mozart, for example—who thought of Bohemia as the most musical country in Europe. Even today, one can hardly get on a...
Serenade for Strings in E Major, op. 22, B. 52
Dvořák is the preëminent Czech composer of the nineteenth century, and perhaps of all of his successors, as well. This is no small achievement, considering the number of great musicians–Mozart, for example—who thought of Bohemia as the most musical country in Europe. Even today, one hardly can get on a...
Symphony No. 6 in D major, op. 60, B. 112
Dvořák is the preëminent Czech composer of the nineteenth century, and perhaps of all of his successors, as well. This is no small achievement, considering the number of great musicians–Mozart, for example—who thought of Bohemia as the most musical country in Europe. Even today, one can hardly get on a...
Symphony No. 7 in D Minor, op. 70, B. 141
Dvořák is the preëminent Czech composer of the nineteenth century, and perhaps of all of his successors, as well. This is no small achievement, considering the number of great musicians—think Mozart, for example—who thought of Bohemia as the most musical country in Europe. Even today, one can hardly get on a...
Symphony No. 8 in G major, op. 88, B. 163
Dvořák is the preëminent Czech composer of the nineteenth century, and perhaps of all of his successors, as well. This is no small achievement, considering the number of great musicians–Mozart, for example—who thought of Bohemia as the most musical country in Europe. Even today, one can hardly get on a...
Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, op. 95, B. 178 (“From the New World”)
Dvořák is the preëminent Czech composer of the nineteenth century, and perhaps of all of his successors, as well. This is no small achievement, considering the number of great musicians–Mozart, for example—who thought of Bohemia as the most musical country in Europe. Even today, one can hardly get on a...
Violin Concerto in A Minor, op. 53, B. 108
Dvořák successfully composed in a wider variety of genres than do most major composers, owing to his receptiveness to commissions, his popular standing in the musical world, and his remarkable commitment to solving musical problems through effort, rather than waiting upon inspiration. That being said, it must nevertheless be observed that the solo...