Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904

Composer of the Week

Kate Molleson explores five windows onto Dvořák’s soul

Antonín Dvořák was one of the most heartfelt tunesmiths in classical music - a man who not only brought the sound of Czech folklore to the world, but also had an indelible impact on the musical nationhood of America. As a character he was sometimes shy, sometimes melancholy, routinely homesick and deeply passionate. This week, Kate Molleson explores five windows onto Dvořák’s soul, aspects of life that were really central to his convictions and his music.

Music Featured:

Gypsy Songs Op 55 No 4: Songs my mother taught me (arr. for cellos by Kian Soltani) Berceuse (Two Piano Pieces, No 1) Symphony No 1 “Bells of Zlonice” (3rd mvt) Cypresses, Nos 1 and 2 Symphony No 9 “From the New World” (2nd mvt) Sonatine (1st and 2nd mvts) Humoresque in G flat major Forget-me-not Polka Silent Woods (From the Bohemian Forest) Serenade for Strings (1st and 2nd mvts) Rusalka (Act I, Song to the moon) The Wild Dove String Quartet No 12 in F major “American”, Op 96 (3rd mvt) Prelude in D major On the Holy Mountain (Poetic Tone Pictures) Stabat Mater (IV, Fac ut ardeat cor meum; V, Tui nati vulnerate) Symphony No 7 (2nd mvt) Requiem (Confutatis) Biblical Songs (Nos 1-5) ‘Possibility’ (Moravian Duets, No 1) Slavonic Dances, Op 46 No 3 ‘My Home’ Overture, Op 62 Serenade for Winds in D minor (1st and 2nd mvts) Piano Trio No 4 ‘Dumky’, Op 90 (2nd mvt) The Noonday Witch Miniature in D minor, Op 75 No 2 String Quartet No 12 in F major “American”, Op 96 (4th mvt) Symphony No 7 (4th mvt) Scottish Dances, Op 41 New World Symphony (Finale) Cello Concerto in B minor (2nd mvt)

Presented by Kate Molleson Produced by Amelia Parker for BBC Audio Wales and West

For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00202zx

And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z