Dvorak: Theme With Variations, Op. 36 / Waltzes, Op. 54

Featuring

Stefan Veselka
Antonín Dvořák

Did you know?

1/6

Composer Biography

Dvořák earned a living as a viola-player in a band that later formed the nucleus of the Czech Provisional Theatre Orchestra.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Dvořák's time as director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York was intended to provide a blueprint for American national music, following the example of Czech national music.

Composer Biography

Antonín Dvořák, the composer, was initially expected to follow his father's trade as a butcher and innkeeper, being the eldest son.

Performer Biography

Stefan Veselka, the pianist on this album, is related to the Czech composer Leoš Janáček.

Compositional Technique

Dvořák's Eight Waltzes, unlike those of Brahms and Chopin, impress with their rapid mood changes, shifting from melancholy to extreme joy in short sequences.

Composition History

The composer Johannes Brahms helped Dvořák gain wider recognition by arranging for the publication of his Moravian Duets and commissioning the Slavonic Dances.