This album features live recordings from the Lucerne Festival, with Dvořák's The Wild Dove and Smetana's Libuše Prelude recorded in August 1984, and Dvořák's Symphony No. 8 in March 1988.
Historical Context
Following the 1968 'Prague Spring' suppression, Václav Neumann resigned as Gewandhauskapellmeister in Leipzig and took over the Czech Philharmonic, succeeding Karel Ančerl who had emigrated in protest.
Performer Biography
Václav Neumann, the conductor, served as chief conductor of the Czech Philharmonic from 1968 to 1990, establishing the orchestra as a cultural ambassador for Czechoslovakia.
Performer Biography
Václav Neumann, the conductor on this album, considered himself "quintessentially Czech" and could not imagine living anywhere other than Prague.
Compositional Technique
Dvořák's symphonic poem The Wild Dove uses funeral music from the beginning to underscore the woman's suicide at the end, contrasting with wedding music played by village musicians in the central section.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Václav Neumann, the conductor, regarded Gustav Mahler as a kindred spirit due to Mahler's Bohemian origins and the folkloristic influences in his music.
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