Quintessence Dvorák: Complete Symphonies

Featuring

Otmar Suitner
Staatskapelle Berlin
Antonín Dvořák

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Cultural Impact

Dvořák's Ninth Symphony, 'From the New World', was partly inspired by a collection of Native American melodies shown to him by his student, Henry Thacker Burleigh.

Compositional Technique

Dvořák was more a lyrical than a dramatic composer, often creating long musical episodes based on a few melodies and many repetitions.

Composer Biography

At the time of his Ninth Symphony, Dvořák was director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York and encouraged Americans to explore their own folk music.

Composition History

Dvořák's First Symphony, 'The Bells of Zlonice', was submitted for a competition, proved unsuccessful, and was only premiered in 1936 after its score was accidentally discovered in a second-hand music shop.

Composer Biography

Dvořák trained as an organ player, worked in a church in Prague, and played violin and viola in an orchestra in the same city.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Dvořák admired Beethoven for his mastery of form, but unlike Beethoven, Dvořák was not an innovator in instrumentation and was more influenced by his Czech national style.

Composition History

The Sixth Symphony was Dvořák's first to receive widespread attention and positive reviews, written at the request of Hans Richter, conductor of the Vienna Philharmonic.