Dvořák's Poetic Tone Pictures, his most substantial work for solo piano, was composed in seven weeks between April and June 1889.
Performer Biography
Leif Ove Andsnes, the pianist on this recording, was first introduced to Czech piano repertoire by a Czech teacher who moved to Norway in the 1970s.
Compositional Technique
The Poetic Tone Pictures show Dvořák's interest in program music, with each piece having a title and expressing something like program music, in the manner of Schumann.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Dvořák intended the Poetic Tone Pictures to be played as a complete cycle, hoping someone would have the courage to perform all of them together.
Performer Biography
Pianist Leif Ove Andsnes discovered Dvořák's Poetic Tone Pictures in his youth through a recording by Czech pianist Radoslav Kvapil.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Dvořák aimed to appeal to a broad audience with this cycle, mixing 'high and low' elements, such as the mystical 'In the Old Castle' and the humorous 'Toying'.
Composer Biography
Dvořák did not own a piano until he was nearly forty, despite writing piano-accompanied songs, chamber music, and a piano concerto.
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