Antonín Dvořák, a Czech composer, came to America in 1892 at the invitation of Jeanette M. Thurber, founder of New York's National Conservatory of Music.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The three works on this album are united by a reflective, dream-like quality, reflecting on America as a 'New World' and a land of dreams.
Compositional Technique
Dvořák's 'New World' Symphony incorporates 'peculiarities of the Indian music' into its original themes, developed with modern rhythms, counterpoint, and orchestral color.
Composer Biography
Charles Ives, born in 1874, was the son of a town bandmaster, George Ives, who enjoyed the polytonal effects of two bands playing different pieces simultaneously.
Composition History
Aaron Copland originally wrote 'Quiet City' in 1939 as incidental music for a stage play by Irwin Shaw, which closed after only two preview performances.
Compositional Technique
Charles Ives's 'Washington's Birthday' features an unusual instrumentation including several mouth harps, played more as a drum than a melodic instrument.
Compositional Technique
Copland salvaged his incidental music for the failed play 'Quiet City' to create a concert suite, rescored for string orchestra, cor anglais, and solo trumpet.
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Dvořák: Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95, B. 178 "From the New World" - Martinů: Symphony No. 2, H. 295
