Dvorak : The Slavonic Soul (CD27)

CD1

• 1-4          Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 3, B9 (“The Bells of Zlonice”)
• 5              Hussite Overture (Husitska), Op. 67, B132

CD2

• 1-4          Symphony No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 4, B12
• 5              My Home, Op. 62, B125a

CD3

• 1-3          Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 10, B34
• 4-7          Symphony No. 4 in D minor, Op. 13, B41*

CD4

• 1-5          Czech Suite, Op. 39, B93
• 6-9          Symphony No. 5 in F major, Op. 76, B54

CD5

• 1-4          Symphony No. 6 in D major, Op. 60, B112
• 5              Scherzo capriccioso, Op. 66, B131*            

CD6

• 1-4          Symphony No. 7 in D minor, Op. 70, B141
• 5-8          Symphony No. 8 in G major, Op. 88, B163*

CD7

• 1-4          Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95, B178 “From the New World”
• 5-9          Suite in A major, Op. 98b, B190 “American”

CD8

• 1-3 Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in B minor, Op. 104, B191
• 4              Rondo for Cello and Orchestra in G minor, Op. 94, B181
• 5              Silent Woods (Klid or Klid lesa) for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 68/5, B182

CD9

• 1-3          Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in A minor, Op. 53, B108
• 4              Romance for Violin and Orchestra in F minor, Op. 11, B39  

CD10

• 1-3          Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in G minor, Op. 33, B63*
• 4              The Golden Spinning Wheel (Zlaty kolovrat), Op. 109, B197

CD11

• Symphonic Poems
  • 1              The Water Goblin (Vodnik), Op. 107, B195
  • 2-5          The Noon Witch (Polednice), Op. 108, B196
  • 6              The Wild Dove (Holoubek), Op. 110, B198

CD12

• 1-3          Nature, Life and Love
• 4-6          Slavonic Rhapsodies, Op. 45, B86

CD13

• 1-5          Serenade for Strings in E major, Op. 22, B52
• 6-9          Serenade for Wind Instruments, Cello and Double Bass in D minor, Op. 44, B77
• 10           Nocturne in B major, Op. 40, B47

CD14

• 1-8          Slavonic Dances, Op. 46, B83
• 9-16        Slavonic Dances, Op. 72, B147

CD15

• 1-11        Symphonic Variations, Op. 78, B70
• 12-21     Legends, Op. 59, B122

CD16

• 1-4          String Quartet No. 9 in D minor, Op. 34, B75
• 5-8          String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96, B179 “American”

CD17

• 1-4          String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat major, Op. 51, B92 “Slavonic”
• 5-8          String Quartet No. 14 in A-flat major, Op. 105, B193

CD18

• 1-4          String Quartet No. 13 in G major, Op. 106, B192
• 5-9          Cypresses (for string quartet), B152

CD19

• 1-4          Piano Quartet No. 2 in E-flat major, op. 87, B162
• 5-8          Piano Quintet No. 2 in A major, Op. 81, B155

CD20

• 1-10 String Sextet in A major, Op. 48, B80
• 11-19     String Quintet No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 97, B180

CD21

• 1-4          Piano Trio No. 1 in B-flat major, Op. 21, B51*
• 5-8          Piano Trio No. 3 in F minor, Op. 65, B130

CD22

• 1-6          Piano Trio No. 4 “Dumky”, Op. 90, B166
• 7-10        Piano Trio No. 2 in G minor, Op. 26, B56

CD23

• 1-5          Bagatelles for Two Violins, Cello and Harmonium, Op. 47, B79
• 5-9          Miniatures for Two Violins and Viola, Op. 75a, B149
• 10           Silent Woods (Klid or Klid lesa) for Cello and Piano, Op. 68/5, B173
• 11-14     Romantic Pieces for Violin and Piano, Op. 75, B150
• 15-18     Sonatina for Violin and Piano in G major, Op. 100, B183 “Indian Lament”
• 19           Suite in A major, Op. 98, B184      
• 20           Two Little Pearls, B156   
• 21           Humoresque No. 7 in G-flat Major, Op. 101, B187   

CD24

• 1-8          Slavonic Dances, Op. 46, B78 (for piano four hands)
• 9-16        Slavonic Dances, Op. 72, B145 (for piano four hands)

CD25  

• 1-7          Zigeunermelodien (Gypsy Songs), Op. 55, B104
• 8-12        Moravian Duets, Op. 32 (Op. 29), Part 1, B60
• 13-20     Moravian Duets, Op. 32, Part 2, B62
• 21-22     2 Moravian Duets, Op. 38, B69

CD26

• 1-8          Requiem Op. 89 (Missa Pro Defunctis), Op. 89, B165 (beginning)

CD27

• 1-5          Requiem Op. 89 (Missa Pro Defunctis), Op. 89, B165 (conclusion)
• 6-7          Rusulka, Op. 114, B203: Song to the moon · Uprooted and banished
• 8              Armida, Op. 115, B206: At dawn, as I merrily pursued a slender gazelle

Lilting melodies and exhilarating dance rhythms; gentle pathos, brooding drama and robust high spirits; the spirit of rural Bohemia and the sophistication of Prague, Vienna, New York and London in the late 19th century: Antonin Dvořák’s music is unfailingly distinctive and captivating. In all his works – from the epic ‘New World’ Symphony and Cello Concerto to the irresistible Slavonic Dances, haunting ‘American’ String Quartet, quirky violin Humoresque and yearning Song to the Moon – he is a composer whose heart is open and generous, and whose love for his homeland always shines through. This box provides an illuminating and enriching survey of his works, including his complete symphonies. A number of the celebrated performers have Slavonic roots themselves; all their interpretations draw on a deep affinity with Dvořák’s inspiration and humanity.

A citizen of the Austrian Empire, Antonín Dvořák was born on 8 September 1841 in a small Bohemian village on north of Prague. As a composer, Dvořák was more or less self-taught, finding inspiration by poring over the scores of Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert. Symphonies, string quartets and even operas began to flow from his pen.

Recognition beyond the borders of Bohemia began with the Moravian Duets and first set of Slavonic Dances, marking a consciously Slavonic phase in Dvořák’s output, to which the Slavonic Rhapsodies, Czech Suite, Legends, Symphony in D, Violin Concerto and the String Quartet in E-flat also belong.

It was for the Philharmonic Society in London that Dvořák wrote his symphony in D minor — a work designed “to stir the world!” — and throughout the 1880s, he willingly fulfilled commissions for the great British Choir Festivals (The Spectre’s Bride, St Ludmila, Requiem Mass).

Having already rather reluctantly become a Professor of Composition at the Prague Conservatoire in 1891, Dvořák needed considerable persuasion to accept the post of Director of the newly founded Conservatoire in New York. His arrival in the USA in 1892 and in particular the premiere of the first work he composed there — the Symphony in E minor “From the New World” – sparked off a vigorous debate about the nature of national music. Perhaps even more than in the symphony, the Cello Concerto, his last work written in the States, expressed the depth of his homesickness. By contrast, the String Quartet in F, String Quintet in E-flat, and Suite in A, to all of which the epithet “American” has been attached, reflect his contentment after his family had joined him there.

Both at home and abroad Dvořák was and remains a leading representative of Czech culture an intensely national composer, whose music nevertheless has international appeal. In his article “What we owe to Dvořák”, the great Czech conductor Václav Talich went some way towards explaining the paradox: “Dvořák came from nature, from Czech nature, from Czech village life. He mastered his craft, the technique of his time, to perfection, while also filling it with the spirit of his country — and that, in my view, is what makes Dvořák universal.”