DVOŘÁK, A.: Great Composers in Words and Music
The music of Bohemian composer Antonín Dvořák is suffused with natural nobility, fluency and freshness, and embodies the spirit of his native land. This revealing biography portrays Dvořák as a complex and wide-ranging composer, and explores the creation and performance of his music as well as its reception on both sides of the Atlantic, tracing his art in all its richness and variety. Musical excerpts include the Cello Concerto, the ‘New World’ Symphony and the Slavonic Dances, as well as selected chamber pieces, songs, opera excerpts, and more.
Tracklist
Košler, Zdeněk (Conductor)
Košler, Zdeněk (Conductor)
Bible - Old Testament - Lyricist
Lange, Manuel (piano)
| 4 | 10 Biblical Songs, Op. 99, B. 185: No. 4. Hospodin jest můj pastýř (The Lord is my shepherd) (excerpt) | 01:32 |
Lange, Manuel (piano)
| 5 | The fourth of Dvořák's Ten Biblical Songs, titled 'The Lord is my shepherd' and set to a well-known Psalm text from the traditional Czech translation of the Kralice Bible | 02:57 |
Bible - Old Testament - Lyricist
Lange, Manuel (piano)
| 6 | 10 Biblical Songs, Op. 99, B. 185: No. 6. Slyš, ó Bože, volání mé (Hear my prayer, O Lord) (excerpt) | 00:57 |
Lange, Manuel (piano)
| 7 | Antonín Leopold Dvořák was born on 8 September 1841 in the village of Nelahozeves, near Kralupy, in Bohemia, approximately 28km north of Prague | 02:48 |
Walter, Alfred (Conductor)
| 8 | Symphony No. 6 in G Major, Op. 116, "Historische Symphonie im Styl und Geschmack vier verschiedener Zeitabschnitte": IV. Allerneueste Periode (1840): Allegro vivace (excerpt) | 00:38 |
Walter, Alfred (Conductor)
| 9 | Reflecting on this period of the composer's life, Zubatý (the Czech writer mentioned previously) wrote… | 02:30 |
Gunzenhauser, Stephen (Conductor)
Gunzenhauser, Stephen (Conductor)
| 11 | Dvořák's first symphony, composed between February and March 1865, began life as a submission to a German composition competition… | 01:34 |
Gunzenhauser, Stephen (Conductor)
Gunzenhauser, Stephen (Conductor)
| 13 | In early 1865, Dvořák started teaching piano to the daughters of a Prague goldsmith: one of the two, Anna Čermáková would later become his wife… | 01:24 |
| 15 | Before he left the Provisional Theatre orchestra in the summer of 1871, Dvořák was the subject of an announcement in a leading local music journal | 03:57 |
Novotny, Vaclav Juda - Lyricist
Guldener, Bernard - Lyricist
Breedt, Michelle (mezzo-soprano)
Mikuláš, Peter (bass)
Prague Chamber Chorus (Choir)
Cologne West German Radio Chorus (Choir)
Cologne West German Radio Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
Albrecht, Gerd (Conductor)
| 16 | Král a uhlíř (King and Charcoal Burner), B. 21, Act I Scene 9: Jaký zvuk to jest? (What sound is that?) (excerpt) | 00:41 |
Breedt, Michelle (mezzo-soprano)
Mikuláš, Peter (bass)
Prague Chamber Chorus (Choir)
Cologne West German Radio Chorus (Choir)
Cologne West German Radio Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
Albrecht, Gerd (Conductor)
| 17 | It seems that Dvořák's revision of the opera between 1873 and 1874 was but part of a larger stylistic renovation being undertaken by the composer at the time | 02:06 |
Traditional - Lyricist
Dobešová, Hana (mezzo-soprano)
Vondráčková, Ladislava (piano)
| 18 | Moravské dvojzpěvy (Moravian Duets), Op. 32, B. 62: No. 2. Veleť vtáčku (Fly, Sweet Songster) (excerpt) | 00:45 |
Dobešová, Hana (mezzo-soprano)
Vondráčková, Ladislava (piano)
| 19 | In response to Dvořák's multi-composition submission for the 1877 stipendium, Brahms singled out the Moravian Duets for special praise | 02:16 |
Košler, Zdeněk (Conductor)
Košler, Zdeněk (Conductor)
| 23 | In August 1883, Dvořák received a prestigious invitation: the London Philharmonic Society requested his presence as conductor (of his own orchestral works) in their forthcoming concert season | 01:22 |
Shafer, Robert (Conductor)
| 24 | Stabat Mater, Op. 58, B. 71: Stabat mater dolorosa (original 1876 version) (version with orchestral accompaniment) (excerpt) | 00:53 |
Shafer, Robert (Conductor)
| 25 | Dvořák left Prague for London on 5 March 1884: eight days later he was conducting the Stabat Mater in the Royal Albert Hall | 03:13 |
Peled, Amit (cello)
Goldstein, Alon (piano)
| 26 | Piano Trio No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 90, B. 166, "Dumky": I. Lento maestoso - Allegro vivace, quasi doppio movimento - Tempo I (excerpt) | 02:00 |
Peled, Amit (cello)
Goldstein, Alon (piano)
| 27 | In 1891, the same year Dvořák completed the 'Dumky' Trio, he took up the position of professor of composition and instrumentation at the Prague Conservatory | 03:20 |
Navarre Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
Wit, Antoni (Conductor)
Navarre Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)
Wit, Antoni (Conductor)
| 29 | The premiere of the Te Deum within the celebratory concert, which took place on 21 October 1892 at New York's Carnegie Hall, was preceded by a concert address by the American musical patron… | 03:11 |
Gunzenhauser, Stephen (Conductor)
| 30 | Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95, B. 178, "From the New World": III. Scherzo: Molto vivace (excerpt) | 01:28 |
Gunzenhauser, Stephen (Conductor)
| 31 | Following the premiere of his Ninth Symphony, Dvořák may well have looked forward to a prosperous and productive period in New York | 03:36 |
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra)
Halász, Michael (Conductor)
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra)
Halász, Michael (Conductor)
| 33 | The next - and, indeed, the penultimate - phase in Dvořák's compositional journey seems to have emerged from his previous interest in music's extra-musical associations… | 02:59 |
Wit, Antoni (Conductor)
Wit, Antoni (Conductor)
Vrchlický, Jaroslav - Lyricist
Prague Chamber Chorus (Choir)
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra)
Albrecht, Gerd (Conductor)
| 36 | Armida, Op. 115, B. 206, Act I Scene 1: Jak z dervišových prstů řinou (As delightful rosary beads glide in the hands of the dervishes) (excerpt) | 01:40 |
Prague Chamber Chorus (Choir)
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra)
Albrecht, Gerd (Conductor)
| 37 | Dvořák is said to have departed the theatre early on the evening of 25 March 1904, during the premiere of Armida at the National Theatre in Prague… | 02:33 |
Frisée, Peter (organ)
Frisée, Peter (organ)





























