Dvořák: Legends & From the Bohemian Forest (Versions for Piano Four-Hands)

Featuring

Anna Zassimova
Christophe Sirodeau
Antonín Dvořák

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Interpretation

The performers on this recording chose an alternative, non-sequential path through Dvořák's two works, interspersing pieces from "Legends" (Op. 59) with those from "From the Bohemian Forest" (Op. 68).

Compositional Technique

The "From the Bohemian Forest" (Op. 68) cycle features a structured arrangement of keys, with the first three pieces ascending in thirds and the following three descending in thirds.

Composition History

Dvořák composed the "Legends" (Op. 59) remarkably quickly, completing them before March 1881, possibly using sketches from the previous spring and material from earlier works.

Performer Biography

Anna Zassimova, one of the pianists on this recording, is also an art historian and painter, and her booklet paintings are featured in this album.

Critical Reception

The famous critic Eduard Hanslick, a champion of Brahms and opponent of Wagner, was enthusiastic about Dvořák's "Legends" (Op. 59) when he heard them, leading Dvořák to dedicate the cycle to him.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Dvořák's music achieves a synthesis of German classicism, Wagnerian harmony, and traditional Czech idioms, despite his deep religious faith and unworldly simplicity.

Composition History

For "From the Bohemian Forest" (Op. 68), Dvořák sought symbolic inspiration through titles, asking his friend Marie Červinková-Riegrová, librettist for his opera "Dimitri", to invent suitable poetic designations.