Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904)

Episodes

SeriesEpisodeTitleFirst
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20100120100524Donald Macleod on Dvorak's career as an opera composer. Excerpts from Rusalka, Jacobin.
20100220100525Donald Macleod explores Dvorak's reaction to his unsuccessful early attempts at opera.
20100320100526Donald Macleod on how Dvorak's determination to be a great opera writer began to pay off.
20100420100527Donald Macleod on Dvorak's struggle for international recognition of his theatre music.
201005 LAST20100528Donald Macleod explains how late in life, Dvorak devoted himself to opera as never before.
201301International Recognition20130902Thanks to Brahms's intervention, a publisher's leap of faith and a glowing review from an enthusiastic critic, Dvorကk found himself launched from minor local celebrity to international star almost overnight. By then in his mid-30s, Dvorကk already had a body of substantial works under his belt and had established his career in his Bohemian homeland. Donald Macleod introduces the works which forged Dvorကk's reputation abroad, including the deeply felt choral work prompted by the death of his three children.

Donald Macleod introduces works which launched Dvorak's international career.

201302England20130903Following a hugely popular performance of his Stabat Mater at the Royal Albert Hall in March 1883, Dvorကk was invited by the Philharmonic Society of London to write a new work for them and to come and conduct it. Donald Macleod describes Dvorကk's extraordinary reception in England and introduces some of the works he premiered during the many visits he made to the country, including the symphony written for the Philharmonic Society, a cantata based on a spooky gothic tale and one of the greatest of all his liturgical works.

Donald Macleod explores some of the works Dvorak premiered during his trips to England.

201303Nature, Life And Love20130904Dvorကk regarded himself first and foremost as a Bohemian composer, though it proved to be a stumbling block when trying to conquer the international market with his operas. Thanks to the anti-Czech feeling in Vienna at the time, it was impossible for him to get a fair hearing there. In spite of his intention to find a subject with a more international flavour, Dvorကk's eighth opera proved to be the most Bohemian opera he ever composed. Donald Macleod introduces an excerpt from it plus one of three concert overtures inspired by the countryside around Dvorကk's summer retreat, and the evocative piano trio destined to become one of the most enduring of all his chamber works.

Donald Macleod introduces works inspired by Dvorak's love for his homeland.

201304America20130905In 1892 Dvorကk embarked on a trip to the USA where he?d been appointed Director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York. He was asked to undertake the formidable task of helping found a national identity for American music and became fascinated by the indigenous melodies of its diverse peoples. Donald Macleod introduces a string quartet written during his summer holiday in the little Bohemian settlement at Spillville in the American mid-west, plus the best known of all his symphonies, named after his temporary home.

Donald Macleod introduces works written during Dvorak's time in America.

201305 LASTFinal Years20130906Dvorကk's cello concerto, the final major work from his sojourn in America, received its premiere in England in 1896 conducted by the composer. For the remaining years of his life Dvorကk travelled little and, other than writing a few chamber works, produced nothing but operas and symphonic poems inspired by the myths and legends of Bohemia and beyond. Donald Macleod introduces Dvorကk's last American work, a haunting tone poem based on a grisly Czech folk tale and the opera with which Dvorကk finally achieved his one desire - an international operatic success.

Donald Macleod introduces colourful works from the end of Dvorak's life.

201401Czech Seeds In British Soil20140901Between 1884 and 1896, Dvorကk visited Britain nine times - with enormous benefit both to himself and to musical life on these shores. The platforms offered by London's conductors and concert venues helped to launch him as a composer of international stature. Before his first visit to London, he was known only in the German-speaking world and his native Bohemia. By his fifth visit, his fame was on a par with that of his friend and untiring advocate Brahms.

Donald Macleod explores the origins of Dvorကk's relationship with the British Isles, from his earliest musical calling-card, the Slavonic Dances opus 46, first presented to British audiences at Crystal Palace in February 1879, to the triumphant reception accorded him five years later when he conducted his Stabat Mater at the Royal Albert Hall. A key element along the way, before he had even set foot here, was his enthusiastic endorsement by musical luminaries such as the violinist Joachim, who presented Dvorကk's String Sextet in London in 1880, and the conductor Hans Richter, who championed a string of Dvorကk's works, beginning with the 3rd Slavonic Rhapsody.

Donald Macleod explores the origins of Dvorak's relationship with the British Isles.

201402A Bohemian In Blighty20140902Between 1884 and 1896, Dvorကk visited Britain nine times - with enormous benefit both to himself and to musical life on these shores. The platforms offered by London's conductors and concert venues helped to launch him as a composer of international stature. Before his first visit to London, he was known only in the German-speaking world and his native Bohemia. By his fifth visit, his fame was on a par with that of his friend and untiring advocate Brahms.

Donald Macleod looks at the background to the commissioning of Dvorကk's 7th Symphony by the Royal Philharmonic Society. That same organization had commissioned Beethoven's 9th Symphony some 67 years earlier, and is still going strong today. The RPS had been instrumental in organising Dvorကk's first visit to Britain. Other invitations quickly followed, including one to conduct his 6th Symphony and Stabat Mater at the Worcester Three Choirs Festival, where an awestruck young Edward Elgar sat among the ranks of the violins.

Donald Macleod on the background to the commissioning of Dvorak's Seventh Symphony.

201403You See, I Became Quite The Englishman20140903Between 1884 and 1896, Dvorကk visited Britain nine times - with enormous benefit both to himself and to musical life on these shores. The platforms offered by London's conductors and concert venues helped to launch him as a composer of international stature. Before his first visit to London, he was known only in the German-speaking world and his native Bohemia. By his fifth visit, his fame was on a par with that of his friend and untiring advocate Brahms.

Donald Macleod considers Dvorကk's fourth and fifth British sojourns, in which he ventured as far afield as Birmingham and Leeds. Birmingham had commissioned from him a secular cantata for their 1885 Festival. This turned out to be The Spectre's Bride, a Gothic tale of ghoulish horror about an orphaned girl whose dead lover rises from the grave to claim her though, eventually, all's well that ends well: she clings to her faith 'and the evil spirit is repulsed.' The Leeds Festival commission was for a new choral work, preferably on a biblical subject; but Dvorကk opted instead for St Ludmila, a story from ancient Bohemian history about the conversion of the Czech people from paganism to Christianity. The Spectre's Bride turned out to be the biggest triumph of Dvorကk's career to date; the success of St Ludmila, whose creation had caused the composer a huge amount of stress and worry, was more equivocal. Neither work is frequently performed today.

Donald Macleod focuses on Dvorak's visits to Birmingham and Leeds.

201404Doctor Dvorak20140904Between 1884 and 1896, Dvorကk visited Britain nine times - with enormous benefit both to himself and to musical life on these shores. The platforms offered by London's conductors and concert venues helped to launch him as a composer of international stature. Before his first visit to London, he was known only in the German-speaking world and his native Bohemia. By his fifth visit, his fame was on a par with that of his friend and untiring advocate Brahms.

Donald Macleod explores the origins of Dvorကk's 8th Symphony, commissioned by the Royal Philharmonic Society, and his Requiem, written for the Birmingham Festival of 1891. The RPS had been trying to persuade Dvorကk to compose something new for them for several years but he remained busy with other projects until the end of 1889. Eventually, he wrote to say that he had started sketching 'something new for your concerts'. His new symphony was a huge success at its British premi耀re the following April. By now, Dvorကk was practically a member of the British musical establishment so it was a logical step for Cambridge University to award him an honorary doctorate. He attended the ceremony in June 1891 - an all-Latin affair that evidently made him extremely uncomfortable. In the wake of the rapturous reception given to The Spectre's Bride at the Birmingham Festival of 1885, Dvorကk was commissioned to write a new oratorio. At first it was suggested to him that he should set The Dream of Gerontius, a poem by Cardinal Newman, but Dvorကk found the text alien and opted instead for a setting of the Requiem mass, which received its world premi耀re in Birmingham in October 1891, under the baton of the composer.

Requiem, Op 89; Dies Irae

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

Karel An?erl, conductor

Symphonic Variations, Op 78

Charles Mackerras, conductor

Symphony No 8 in G, Op 88; 3rd and 4th mvts

London Symphony Orchestra

Istvကn Kert退sz, conductor

Requiem, Op 89; 'Domine, Jesu Christe

Maria Stader (soprano)

Sieglinde Wagner (alto)

Ernst Haefliger (tenor)

Kim Borg (bass)

Karel Ancerl, conductor

Producer: Chris Barstow.

Donald Macleod focuses on the British origins of Dvorak's Eighth Symphony and the Requiem.

201405 LASTDvorak's Last Visit20140905Between 1884 and 1896, Dvorကk visited Britain nine times - with enormous benefit both to himself and to musical life on these shores. The platforms offered by London's conductors and concert venues helped to launch him as a composer of international stature. Before his first visit to London, he was known only in the German-speaking world and his native Bohemia. By his fifth visit, his fame was on a par with that of his friend and untiring advocate Brahms.

Donald Macleod explores the circumstances of the composer's final trip to Britain which saw the world premi耀re of one of his greatest works, the Cello Concerto instigated once again by the redoubtable Royal Philharmonic Society. Since the 1891 premi耀re of Dvorကk's Requiem in Birmingham, the RPS had made strenuous efforts to arrange a return visit but, from 1892 to 1895, Dvorကk had his work cut out as Director of the National Conservatory of Music of America in New York, trying to establish an authentically American school of composition. He complained in letters home that his teaching duties interfered with his composing but, in spite of that, he managed to complete a number of major works, including the Biblical Songs and the Cello Concerto, both of which were on the programme of the RPS concert that eventually took place in Queen's Hall, London, with Dvorကk conducting, in March 1896 ? as it turned out, Dvorကk's final farewell to Blighty.

Donald Macleod discusses the circumstances of Dvorak's final trip to Britain.

201601Butcher Boy?20160125Donald Macleod explores the early years of Czech composer Antonin Dvorကk, including his first symphony the Bells of Zlonice.

Dvorကk has often been represented as an innocent, a nave, a benign country boy, saintly figure, a family man, a train-spotter and pigeon-fancier who loved nothing more than chatting over a beer in a pub with his pals and playing Darda - a card-game now lost. But there's some evidence that the seemingly artless persona he presented to the world was carefully crafted. Much has been made of his humble origins, the eldest of nine children, growing up living the simple life of a deeply religious country community, surrounded by folk music.

Until quite recently, accounts of his life would have us believe that about the age of thirteen Dvorကk was apprenticed to a butcher in Zlonice, a town about twenty miles from his home village, but he was able to continue taking music lessons with the local organist, and at fifteen, completing his apprenticeship. But recently his certificate that supposedly testified to this has been shown to be a forgery, the story a mere myth confected to obscure the fact that his parents recognised their son's musical talent from the first and did everything they could to encourage it.

Symphony No. 9, From the New World - Largo

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra / Nikolaus Harnoncourt

Songs My Mother Taught Me

Joan Sutherland (soprano)

New Philharmonic Orchestra / Richard Bonynge

Silhouettes

Stefan Vaselka (piano)

String Quartet No. 8 in E major

I. Allegro

II. Andante con moto

Symphony No. 1, Bells of Zlonice

Scottish National Orchestra / Neeme J䀀rvi.

Donald Macleod on Dvorak's early years, including his First Symphony, The Bells of Zlonice

201602An Artist Too Has A Fatherland20160126Donald Macleod explores the life and work of Antonin Dvorကk.

Dvorကk's life coincides with an Age of Nationalism across Europe, when cultural distinctions helped to mark out the borders up for grabs in a reformulated Europe. In this programme we'll hear about some of Dvorကk's nationally inspired compositions, including his Hussite Overture. It was written in 1883 at the request of František Adolf Šubert, the Director of the National Theatre in Prague, as the overture to a play Šubert intended to write about the times of the Czech hero, the 14th century church reformer and patriot Jan Hus. The main theme adopted by Dvorကk is the Hussite hymn, Ye Warriors of God, which was a rallying cry to all Czechs at the time.

Slavonic Dance No. 8 in G minor

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra / Jose Serebrier

King and Charcoal Burner

Prague National Theatre Chorus / Milan Maly

Prague National Theatre Orchestra / Josef Chaloupka

Husitska Overture

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra / Vaclav Neumann

Dumka and Furiant. Op 12

Stefan Vaselka (piano)

Symphony No. 6

III Scherzo - Furiant

IV Finale

Royal Scottish Orchestra / Neeme Jarvi.

Donald Macleod introduces some of Dvorak's nationally inspired compositions.

201603The Bohemian Brahms20160127Donald Macleod explores the music associated with Antonin Dvorကk's many visits to Britain.

Dvorကk was first invited to Britain by the Royal Philharmonic Society in 1884, to conduct a concert of his own music. Dvorကk was almost overwhelmed by his experience of the metropolis - aghast at its sheer size. That first visit was the beginning of what proved to be a lasting, important relationship. Dvorကk would return to these shores nine times, and came to be dubbed 'the Bohemian Brahms'. He became so famous that his face appeared on one of the Wills cigarette cards.

In Nature's Realm

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra / Libor Pesek

Stabat Mater - stabat mater dolorosa

Edith Mathis (soprano), Anna Reynolds (alto), Wieslaw Ochman (tenor), John Shirley-Quirk (bass)

Bavarian Radio Chorus / Josef Schmidhuber

Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

The Spectre's Bride

I. chorus

Prague Philharmonic Choir / Pavel Kuhn

Prague Symphony Orchestra / Jiri Belohlavek

Cello Concerto in B minor

III. Finale

Jacqueline du Pr退 (cello)

Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Daniel Barenboim.

Donald Macleod explores music associated with Dvorak's many visits to Britain.

201604In The New World20160128Donald Macleod continues his exploration of the life and work of Antonin Dvorကk, today focusing on the composer's years in the United States.

It was the 400th anniversary of Columbus's arrival which first drew Dvorကk to the United States. Initially commissioned to compose a work celebrating the anniversary. She subsequently invited Dvorကk to take up the post of Director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York - an institution she had founded, along with the American Opera Company, as a means towards her visionary ends of bringing into being a national American school of composition. She wanted to free American music from its possessive European parents. She'd chosen Dvorကk because she'd seen how he'd established his own reputation as a composer in a distinct, nationalistic style. Up to this time, American composers had gone to Europe to study. Mrs Thurber aimed to make all that cross-Atlantic travel unnecessary.

Rondo in G minor

Paul Tortelier (cello)

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / Yan Pascal Tortelier

Te Deum

i. Te deum laudamus

ii. Tu rex gloriae, Christae

iii. Aeterna fac cum Sanctis tuis Gloria numerate

Marina Mesheriakova (soprano), Sergei Miasnikov (bass)

Russian State Symphonic Capella

Russian State Symphony Orchestra / Valery Polyansky

Goin' Home

Paul Robeson

Sonatina for cello and piano

i. Allegro risoluto

Maria Kliegel (cello), Nina Tichman (piano)

Biblical songs Nos 3 & 4

The Lord is My Shepherd

O sing unto the Lord

Brian Raynor Cook (baritone)

Scottish National Orchestra / Neeme Jarvi

String Quartet No.12 in F major

i. Allegro ma non troppo

Vlach Quartet.

Donald Macleod focuses on Dvorak's years spent in the United States.

201605 LASTTowards Dramatic Composition20160129Donald Macleod focuses on the final years in the life of the composer Antonin Dvorကk.

Dvorကk's last years were productive ones. After turning down an offer from Brahms to move to Vienna to teach at the Conservatoire, he composed a series of tone poems associated with myths and legends, and all taking their inspiration from ballads by the Czech poet Karel Jarom퀀r Erben. These would be his final orchestral works.

Dvorကk had served his musical apprenticeship in the orchestra of what was then Prague's opera house and at the end of his life he retained his passion, obsession even, about composing opera. Just two months before his death in May 1904, Dvorကk told a journalist from an Austrian newspaper that, 'in the last five years I have written nothing but operas. I wanted to devote all my powers, as long as God gives me the health, to the creation of opera. ... I consider opera the most suitable form for the nation. This music is listened to by the broad masses, whereas when I compose a symphony, I might have to wait years for it to be performed.

Eight Humoresques

Stefan Vaselka (piano)

The Noon Witch

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra / Sir Charles Mackerras

O Silver Moon (Rusalka)

Ren退e Fleming (soprano)

LSO / Sir Georg Solti

Carnival Overture

Concertgebouw Orchestra / Riccardo Chailly.

Donald Macleod focuses on Dvorak's productive final years.

201701From Bohemia To The World2017041020180625 (R3)Donald Macleod explores Antonin Dvorak's stratospheric rise to fame in the 1870s.

Long before the famous journey to the New World, the celebrated visits to this country, before even the great shaggy beard...there was once a young composer, obsessed with Wagner, scratching out a meagre living in obscurity in Prague - waiting patiently to snatch his moment as the most outstanding and distinctive musical voice his nation had ever heard. This week, Donald Macleod explores the critical period in the late 1870s when Antonin Dvorak first made his name, drawing musically from no fewer than four of Dvorak's early symphonies, his Piano and Violin Concertos, his much-loved Slavonic Dances, his String Quintet in G, and host of stage and chamber works.

We begin with a critical moment in Dvorak's early life: just as all seemed lost, and his early opera 'King and Charcoal Burner' seemed set for the dustbin of history, the composer received a new state award for impoverished composers. It was to utterly transform his life.

A Garland (Songs from The Dvur Kralove Manuscript)

Bernarda Fink, soprano

Roger Vignoles, piano

The King and the Charcoal-Burner: Act III, Scene I

WDR Symphony Orchestra and Chorus

Gerd Albrecht, conductor

Rosebud (Songs from The Dvur Kralove Manuscript)

Symphony No 3 in E flat, Op 10

Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

Myung Whun-Chung, conductor

Symphony No 4 in D minor, Op 13 (3rd mvt)

London Symphony Orchestra

Istvကn Kertesz, conductor.

Donald Macleod focuses on Dvorak's very rapid rise to fame in the 1870s.

201702Herr Brahms2017041120180626 (R3)Donald Macleod explores Dvorak's life-changing relationship with Johannes Brahms, with a complete performance of the String Quintet in G.

Long before the famous journey to the New World, the celebrated visits to this country, before even the great shaggy beard...there was once a young composer, obsessed with Wagner, scratching out a meagre living in obscurity in Prague - waiting patiently to snatch his moment as the most outstanding and distinctive musical voice his nation had ever heard. This week, Donald Macleod explores the critical period in the late 1870s when Antonin Dvorak first made his name, drawing musically from no fewer than four of Dvorak's early symphonies, his Piano and Violin Concertos, his much-loved Slavonic Dances, his String Quintet in G, and host of stage and chamber works.

Though his recent award for 'impoverished artists' had bolstered him financially, Dvorak's name was still little known in the mid-1870s. That is, until he came into contact with one of the most powerful and respected figures in European music: Johannes Brahms. Donald Macleod explores their relationship.

Piano Trio No.1 in B flat major, Op 21 (3rd mvt)

Smetana Trio

Symphony No 5 in F major, Op 76 (2nd mvt)

Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra

Mariss Jansons, conductor

Vanda (Act 3 excerpt)

Prague Radio Chorus and Orchestra

František Dyk, conductor

String Quintet No 2 in G major, Op 77

Škampa Quartet

Laur耀ne Durantel, double bass.

Donald Macleod explores Dvorak's life-changing relationship with Brahms.

201703Bohemian Variations2017041220180627 (R3)Donald Macleod explores two completely contrasting, yet pivotal, works - Dvorak's Stabat Mater and Moravian Duets. Plus, a rare gem: his Symphonic Variations.

Long before the famous journey to the New World, the celebrated visits to this country, before even the great shaggy beard...there was once a young composer, obsessed with Wagner, scratching out a meagre living in obscurity in Prague - waiting patiently to snatch his moment as the most outstanding and distinctive musical voice his nation had ever heard. This week, Donald Macleod explores the critical period in the late 1870s when Antonin Dvorak first made his name, drawing musically from no fewer than four of Dvorak's early symphonies, his Piano and Violin Concertos, his much-loved Slavonic Dances, his String Quintet in G, and host of stage and chamber works.

Amidst the growing professional fame of the late 1870s, there was tragedy in Dvorak's family life as he lost the first three of his children to be born. A proud family man and deeply religious soul, Dvorak poured his grief into his much-loved Stabat Mater - a work that would later make his name in Great Britain. Meanwhile, a set of delightful Moravian Duets set tongues wagging in Germany - and won him a Berlin publisher. Could the man from the so-called 'backwater' of Bohemia be set for his biggest break?

Quis est homo qui non fleret (Stabat Mater)

Ilse Eerens, soprano

Michaela Selinger, alto

Maximilian Schmitt, tenor

Florian Boesch, bass

Collegium Vocale Gent

Royal Flemish Philharmonic Orchestra

Philippe Herreweghe, conductor

Five Moravian Duets, Op 29

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, soprano

Irmgard Seefried, contralto

Gerald Moore, piano

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

Marin Alsop, conductor

Piano Concerto in G minor, Op 33 (2nd mvt)

Stephen Hough, piano

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

Andris Nelsons, conductor.

Two completely contrasting, yet pivotal, works: Dvorak's Stabat Mater and Moravian Duets.

201704Dvorakmania2017041320180628 (R3)Donald Macleod explores how the composer's new Slavonic Dances set off 'Dvorakmania' in Germany. Plus: a complete performance of his radiant Wind Serenade.

Long before the famous journey to the New World, the celebrated visits to this country, before even the great shaggy beard...there was once a young composer, obsessed with Wagner, scratching out a meagre living in obscurity in Prague - waiting patiently to snatch his moment as the most outstanding and distinctive musical voice his nation had ever heard. This week, Donald Macleod explores the critical period in the late 1870s when Antonin Dvorak first made his name, drawing musically from no fewer than four of Dvorak's early symphonies, his Piano and Violin Concertos, his much-loved Slavonic Dances, his String Quintet in G, and host of stage and chamber works.

On the 15th November 1878, Dvorak's life changed for ever, as a review by the critic Louis Ehlert appeared in Berlin praising the composer as one of the most brilliantly gifted talents in contemporary music. As music lovers scrambled to buy Dvorak's new Slavonic Dances - the big hit of that winter - the Dvorak family were thrilled to be nursing a new baby, their beloved daughter Otilie. Donald Macleod presents complete performances of Dvorak's much-loved Wind Serenade, inspired by Mozart, and his charming Bagatelles for strings and harmonium.

Furiant in C major (Slavonic Dances, Op 46 No 1)

Peter Noke and Helen Krizos, piano duet

Skocna in A major (Slavonic Dances, Op 46 No 5)

Serenade in D minor, Op 44

Oslo Philharmonic Wind Ensemble

Bagatelles, Op 47

Vogler Quartet

Oliver Triendl, harmonium.

Donald Macleod explores how Dvorak's Slavonic Dances set off 'Dvorakmania' in Germany.

201705 LASTOn The Cusp Of Greatness2017041420180629 (R3)At the dawn of a new decade - the 1880s - Dvorak stood poised to conquer the musical world. Donald Macleod explores a series of works that made his name from Berlin to Brooklyn.

Long before the famous journey to the New World, the celebrated visits to this country, before even the great shaggy beard...there was once a young composer, obsessed with Wagner, scratching out a meagre living in obscurity in Prague - waiting patiently to snatch his moment as the most outstanding and distinctive musical voice his nation had ever heard. This week, Donald Macleod explores the critical period in the late 1870s when Antonin Dvorak first made his name, drawing musically from no fewer than four of Dvorak's early symphonies, his Piano and Violin Concertos, his much-loved Slavonic Dances, his String Quintet in G, and host of stage and chamber works.

As Dvorak stood on the cusp of worldwide fame, he found himself increasingly in demand from some of the Europe's greatest musical stars. Donald Macleod explores the Czech composer's relationship with conductor Hans Richter and violin virtuoso Joseph Joachim - as both politics, and the odd stray match, threaten to put a halt to the Dvorak juggernaut...

Symphony No 6 in D major, Op 60 (3rd mvt)

Lucerne Symphony Orchestra

James Gaffigan, conductor

Dimitrij (Act 4 excerpts)

Krassimira Stoyanova (Xenia, soprano)

Munich Radio Symphony Orchestra

Pavel Baleff, conductor

Violin Concerto in A minor, Op 52

Christian Tetzlaff, violin

Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra

John Storgards, conductor.

Donald Macleod explores works that made Dvorak's name, from Berlin to Brooklyn.

201901A Determined Scribbler2019110420200817 (R3)Anton퀀n Dvo?ကk was no spring chicken when he found success as a composer. He was in his early thirties before he made his mark in his native Czech Republic, despite composing from a young age. Donald Macleod follows Dvo?ကk as he attempts to win over successive audiences: from Prague to Vienna, England to America, before eventually returning to Prague and to the opera stage. Who did he need to impress in order to achieve the success he craved?

Today we're in the Czech Republic, where the not so young Dvo?ကk eventually overcame professional and personal disappointment to wow audiences and critics alike. Highly self-critical of his own work, Dvo?ကk claimed that as a young man he was never short of paper to light a fire. But despite a slow start, he never gave up his dream of being a composer.

Thanks to some supportive individuals, Dvo?ကk was eventually catapulted to fame, despite an early attempt at opera which was declared `worse than Wagner - unsingable`.

We'll hear a concert overture, a movement from the first of Dvo?ကk's symphonies to be performed publicly, and a series of love songs which were originally composed with his wife's sister in mind.

Slavonic Dances, Op 46 (Dumka)

Chamber Orchestra of Europe

Nikolaus Harnoncourt, conductor

In Nature's Realm, Op 91

Ulster Orchestra

Vernon Handley, conductor

Symphony No 3 in E flat major, Op 10 (3rd movt Allegro Vivace)

Czech Philharmonic

Ji?퀀 B?lohlကvek, conductor

P퀀sn? Milostn退, Op 83

Bernanda Fink, mezzo-soprano

Roger Vignoles, piano

Serenade, Op 44 (Minuetto)

Oslo Philharmonic Wind Soloists

Produced by Cerian Arianrhod for BBC Cymru Wales

Donald Macleod follows Dvorak as he struggles to make his mark as a composer.

201902Influential Friends2019110520200818 (R3)Anton퀀n Dvo?ကk was no spring chicken when he found success as a composer. He was in his early thirties before he made his mark in his native Czech Republic, despite composing from a young age. Donald Macleod follows Dvo?ကk as he attempts to win over successive audiences: from Prague to Vienna, England to America, before eventually returning to Prague and to the opera stage. Who did he need to impress in order to achieve the success he craved?

By 1873 Dvo?ကk was making a name for himself in Prague, but the musical snobbery of the day meant that to be thought truly successful a composer had first to make an impression in Vienna and the Germanic heartlands of classical music. Acclaim from Dvo?ကk's `narrow Czech fatherland` was not enough.

A state grant for struggling composers brought him into contact with many influential individuals, including Johannes Brahms who became an important friend. An introduction to Brahms' publisher, Fritz Simrock led to `Dvo?ကkmania`, but the Czech composer's success came against a background of personal tragedy.

Today Donald Macleod examines Dvo?ကk's relationships with some of the influential individuals who championed his work, including Brahms, the conductor Hans Richter and the virtuoso violinist Joseph Joachim.

Piano Trio in F minor, Op 65 (Allegro grazioso: meno mosso)

The Florestan Trio

Moravian Duets, Op 32 (How small the field of Slav퀀kov is & Water and Tears)

Genia Kühmeier, soprano

Bernarda Fink, mezzo-soprano

Christoph Berner, piano

Symphonic Variations, Op 78

Prague Philharmonia

Jakub Hr?ša, conductor

String Quartet No 10 in E flat major, Op 51 (Romanza)

The Emerson String Quartet

Violin Concerto in A minor, Op 53 (2nd movt - Adagio ma non troppo)

Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin

Marek Janowski, conductor

Arabella Steinbacher, violin

Produced by Cerian Arianrhod for BBC Cymru Wales.

Donald Macleod explores Dvorak's relationship with influential figures in the music world.

201903Notes From A Small Island2019110620200819 (R3)Anton퀀n Dvo?ကk was no spring chicken when he found success as a composer. He was in his early thirties before he made his mark in his native Czech Republic, despite composing from a young age. Donald Macleod follows Dvo?ကk as he attempts to win over successive audiences: from Prague to Vienna, England to America, before eventually returning to Prague and to the opera stage. Who did he need to impress in order to achieve the success he craved?

With the success of Dvo?ကk's breakthrough came difficulties, due to the high expectations of his friends and supporters. Little wonder that the Czech composer's sights turned elsewhere, to England, and a chance to follow his own path.

Today Donald Macleod asks whether Dvo?ကk's visits to England led not only to increased fame but also to a greater sense of his own worth as a composer. We'll hear from some of the works that delighted his English audiences, including an oratorio about a Czech saint and a setting of the Requiem Mass.

Dvo?ကk's success in England also allowed him to fulfil a dream of buying a bolthole in the country, a place that inspired his Eighth Symphony.

Czech Suite, Op 39 (Finale - Furiant)

Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra

Antoni Wit, conductor

Stabat Mater, Op 58 (Quis es homo, qui non fleret)

L퀀via @ghovက, soprano

Marga Schiml, contralto

Aldo Baldin, tenor

Lud?k Vel, bass

Prague Philharmonic Orchestra

Ji?퀀 B?lohlကvek - conductor

Svatက Ludmila, Op 71 (What man is this whom lightening will not fell? & I beg thee, on thy dusty feet My lips I would lay)

Eva Urbanov, soprano

Prague Philharmonic Choir

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

Ji?퀀 B?lohlကvek, conductor

Symphony No 8 in G major, Op 88 (1st movt - Allegro con brio)

Budapest Festival Orchestra

Ivကn Fische, conductor

Requiem, Op 89 (Hostias)

Pilar Lorengar, soprano

Erzs退bet Koml ssy, contralto

R bert Ilosfalvy, tenor

Tomas Krause, bass

London Symphony Orchestra

The Ambrosian Singers

Istvကn Kert退sz, conductor

Produced by Cerian Arianrhod for BBC Cymru Wales.

Donald Macleod asks how success in England changed Dvorak.

201904The American Dream2019110720200820 (R3)Anton퀀n Dvo?ကk was no spring chicken when he found success as a composer. He was in his early thirties before he made his mark in his native Czech Republic, despite composing from a young age. Donald Macleod follows Dvo?ကk as he attempts to win over successive audiences: from Prague to Vienna, England to America, before eventually returning to Prague and to the opera stage. Who did he need to impress in order to achieve the success he craved?

`The Americans expect great things of me`. Dvo?ကk's arrival in New York in September 1892 has something of a mid-life crisis about it. Persuaded by the wealthy philanthropist Jeanette Thurber to take up a post of Director at the National Conservatory of Music, it was a chance to escape the shadow of his friend and fellow composer Johannes Brahms. America provided further successes, but also its own set of difficulties.

Today's programme sees Dvo?ကk embroiled in arguments about the nature of American music and struggling with homesickness. But he was also inspired by his time in America and we'll hear music which began as a few scribbled notes on a shirt cuff in Iowa and a pieces written after a visit to the Minnehaha Falls.

Piano Trio in E minor, Op 90 (Dumky) (Allegro)

The Florestan Trio

Cello Concerto in B minor, Op 104 (2nd movt - Adagio ma non troppo)

Berliner Philharmoniker

Mstislav Rostropovich, cello

Herbert von Karajan, conductor

Violin Sonatina in G, Op 100

Jack Liebeck, violin

Katya Apekisheva, piano

Biblical Songs, op 99 (Oh, my Shepherd is the Lord & By the shore of the river of Babylon)

Dagmar Peckovက, mezzo-soprano

Irwin Gage, piano

String Quartet No 12 in F major, Op 96 (American) (Lento)

Pavel Haas Quartet

Symphony No 9, Op 95 (From the New World) (1st movt - Adagio-Allegro molto

Royal Concertgabouw Orchestra

Nikolaus Harnoncourt, conductor

Produced by Cerian Arianrhod for BBC Cymru Wales

Donald Macleod focuses on the highs and lows of Dvorak's time in America.

201905 LASTUnfulfilled Ambition2019110820200821 (R3)Anton퀀n Dvo?ကk was no spring chicken when he found success as a composer. He was in his early thirties before he made his mark in his native Czech Republic, despite composing from a young age.

Donald Macleod follows Dvo?ကk as he attempts to win over successive audiences: from Prague to Vienna, England to America, before eventually returning to Prague and to the opera stage. Who did he need to impress in order to achieve the success he craved?

There was one musical form in which Dvo?ကk never achieved the success he wanted. His first attempt at opera was immediately consigned to the bin by the critical composer and his second, as we heard on Monday, was a disaster. Despite these setbacks there was rarely a period in Dvo?ကk's life when he wasn't writing opera.

Donald Mcleod considers what drove him to persevere, when his other works were so well received by audiences at home and abroad. Why was opera so important to Dvo?ကk, and what held him back? We'll hear extracts from Vanda, The King and Charcoal Burner, Dimitrij and Rusalka as well as one of Dvo?ကk's other dramatic compositions, the tone poem The Noonday Witch.

Vanda (Overture)

Prague Radio Orchestra

František Dyk, conductor

The King and the Charcoal Burner (Act 11, scene 7)

L퀀via Aghovက, soprano (Liduška)

Michelle Breedt, mezzo-soprano (Anna)

Peter Mikul , bass (Mat?j)

Michal Lehotský, tenor (Jenik)

Prague Chamber Choir

WDR Rundfunkchor K怀ln & WDR Sinfonieorchester K怀ln

Gerd Albrecht, conductor

Dimitrij (Act 4, scene 3)

Krassimira Stoyanova, sopranp

Münchner Rundfunkorchester

Pavel Baleff, conductor

The Noon Witch, Op 196

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

Charles Mackerras, conductor

Rusalka (Act 3)

Renne Fleming, soprano (Rusalka)

Ben Heppner (Prince

Franz Howlata (The Water Goblin)

Produced by Cerian Arianrhod for BBC Cymru Wales.

Donald Macleod explores Dvorak's obsession with opera.

202101Friendship With Brahms20210802Donald Macleod reveals how a fellow composer helped kick-start Dvo?ကk's career.

In an era overloaded with brooding and overwrought Romantic sensibilities, Anton퀀n Dvo?ကk's music shone with grace, joy and humanity. Audiences were enchanted and adopted Dvo?ကk as one of the 19th century's most beloved composers. He was especially in demand in Britain and the USA, and enjoyed successful visits both countries. Dvo?ကk was never happier, though, than at home in his native Bohemia, listening to the birds singing, feeding his pigeons, and indulging in a bit of train spotting, too.

From the mid 1870s, Anton퀀n Dvo?ကk developed a friendship with Johannes Brahms, who was already well established as a composer. From early on, both musicians hit it off and Brahms was soon disposed to help Dvo?ကk in any way he could. Brahms encouraged his own publisher, Fritz Simrock, to take on his younger colleague. The subsequent release of Dvo?ကk's first set of Slavonic Dances made him a household name. Brahms also introduced Dvo?ကk's work to the conductor Hans Richter, and to violin virtuoso Joseph Joachim. Richter would go on to conduct Dvo?ကk's music in concerts around Europe, and Joachim was responsible for encouraging Dvo?ကk to compose his famous Violin Concerto.

Cigကnsk退 melodie, Op 55 No 4 (Songs my mother taught me)

Ren退e Fleming, soprano

English Chamber Orchestra

Jeffrey Tate, conductor

Slavonic Dances Op 46 (excerpt)

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

Ji?퀀 B?lohlကvek, conductor

Hussite Overture, Op 67

London Symphony Orchestra

Witold Rowicki, conductor

Violin Concerto in A minor, Op 53 (Finale)

James Ehnes, violin

BBC Philharmonic Orchestra

Gianandrea Noseda, conductor

Produced by Luke Whitlock, for BBC Wales

Donald Macleod reveals how a fellow composer helped kick-start Dvo\u0159\u00e1k's career.

202102Visits To England20210803Donald Macleod reveals how Dvo?ကk's popularity with the British public led to many significant commissions.

In an era overloaded with brooding and overwrought Romantic sensibilities, Anton퀀n Dvo?ကk's music shone with grace, joy and humanity. Audiences were enchanted and adopted Dvo?ကk as one of the 19th century's most beloved composers. He was especially in demand in Britain and the USA, and enjoyed successful visits both countries. Dvo?ကk was never happier, though, than at home in his native Bohemia, listening to the birds singing, feeding his pigeons, and indulging in a bit of train spotting, too.

Dvo?ကk's Sixth Symphony had made him famous in London, even before his first visit there. When he finally made the trip, he had never journeyed so far or, indeed, even seen the sea before. Many more visits to England would follow. His British fans showered him with praise and endless social invitations. He was asked to conduct his Stabat Mater at the Three Choirs Festival in Worcester and the Philharmonic Society commissioned him to write his Seventh Symphony. Dvo?ကk was so popular that his image even appeared on Wills's cigarette cards.

Symphony No 6 in D, Op 60 (Scherzo)

Vienna Philharmonic

Myung-Whun Chung, conductor

Stabat Mater, Op 58 (excerpt)

Eri Nakamura, soprano

Elisabeth Kulman, contralto

Michael Spyres, tenor

Jongmin Park, bass

Prague Philharmonic Choir

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

Ji?퀀 B?lohlကvek, conductor

Symphony No 7 in D minor, Op 70 (excerpt)

Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra

Mariss Jansons, conductor

Terzetto, Op 74 (Tema con variazioni)

Guarneri Quartet

Produced by Luke Whitlock, for BBC Wales

Donald Macleod follows Dvo\u0159\u00e1k across the English Channel to London.

202103Rising Stardom20210804Donald Macleod sees Dvo?ကk enjoying the rewards of his success.

In an era overloaded with brooding and overwrought Romantic sensibilities, Anton퀀n Dvo?ကk's music shone with grace, joy and humanity. Audiences were enchanted and adopted Dvo?ကk as one of the 19th century's most beloved composers. He was especially in demand in Britain and the USA, and enjoyed successful visits both countries. Dvo?ကk was never happier, though, than at home in his native Bohemia, listening to the birds singing, feeding his pigeons, and indulging in a bit of train spotting, too.

By the late 1880s, Dvo?ကk was firmly established as a composer and his popularity was rising in his homeland and abroad. He set to writing a large-scale piano quintet, following in the footsteps of Schumann and Brahms, and resulting in one of the finest examples of the form. He also turned to opera and produced another symphony, his Eighth. Dvo?ကk was invited to become a teacher at the Prague Conservatoire, which he eventually agreed to do. His students found his teaching methods unconventional, but idolised him all the same.

Slavonic Dances, Op 72 No 2 (Dumka)

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

Ji?퀀 B?lohlကvek, conductor

Piano Quintet in A major, Op 81 (excerpt)

Pavel Haas Quartet

Boris Giltburg, piano

Symphony No 8 in G major, Op 88 (excerpt)

London Symphony Orchestra

Witold Rowicki, conductor

Carnival Overture, Op 92

Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

Rafael Kubelik, conductor

Produced by Luke Whitlock, for BBC Wales

Donald Macleod sees Dvo\u0159\u00e1k enjoying the rewards of his success.

202104The American Years20210805Donald Macleod follows Dvo?ကk's time in America and discovers the iconic works he made there.

In an era overloaded with brooding and overwrought Romantic sensibilities, Anton퀀n Dvo?ကk's music shone with grace, joy and humanity. Audiences were enchanted and adopted Dvo?ကk as one of the 19th century's most beloved composers. He was especially in demand in Britain and the USA, and enjoyed successful visits both countries. Dvo?ကk was never happier, though, than at home in his native Bohemia, listening to the birds singing, feeding his pigeons, and indulging in a bit of train spotting, too.

It was a sign of Dvo?ကk's global reputation that he was invited across the Atlantic to take on the Directorship of the National Conservatory of Music in New York. Dvo?ကk wasn't keen to leave his homeland behind but he eventually agreed, and arrived in the United States in 1892. During his stay, Dvorak was inspired by the sounds of birds, fascinated by Native American music, and thrilled by America's vast railway system. This also period saw him write some of his most iconic works including his Ninth Symphony, the String Quartet No 12 and his Cello Concerto.

Piano Trio No 4 in E minor, Op 90 (Dumky)

Christian Tetzlaff, violin

Tanja Tetzlaff, cello

Lars Vogt, piano

Symphony No 9 in E minor, Op 95 `From the New World` (excerpt)

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

Riccardo Chailly, conductor

String Quartet No 12 in F, Op 96 (excerpt)

Vogler String Quartet

Cello Concerto in B minor, Op 104 (Finale)

Kian Soltani, cello

Staatskapelle Berlin

Daniel Barenboim, conductor

Produced by Luke Whitlock, for BBC Wales

Donald Macleod uncovers Dvo\u0159\u00e1k's time in America and the iconic works he made there.

202105 LASTChanging Directions20210806Donald Macleod sees Dvo?ကk return to his homeland and undertake some new creative challenges.

In an era overloaded with brooding and overwrought Romantic sensibilities, Anton퀀n Dvo?ကk's music shone with grace, joy and humanity. Audiences were enchanted and adopted Dvo?ကk as one of the 19th century's most beloved composers. He was especially in demand in Britain and the USA, and enjoyed successful visits both countries. Dvo?ကk was never happier, though, than at home in his native Bohemia, listening to the birds singing, feeding his pigeons, and indulging in a bit of train spotting, too.

After a successful period living and working in the USA, Dvo?ကk returned home to Bohemia and began looking for new creative outlets. He stepped away from writing symphonies, at this point, and turned instead to symphonic poems - orchestral works inspired by stories. What followed was a series of pieces with titles such as The Water Goblin, The Noon Witch, The Golden Spinning Wheel and The Wild Dove. Dvo?ကk also returned to writing opera including his finest offering for the stage, Rusalka. Many honours now came to Dvo?ကk. He was made a member of Vienna's Society of the Friends of Music and also elected to be a member of the Austrian Hose of Lords.

Humoresque in G flat, Op 101 No 7

Moura Lympany, piano

The Water Goblin, Op 107

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

Nikolaus Harnoncourt

Song to the Moon, Op 114 (Rusalka) (1900)

Ren退e Fleming

London Symphony Orchestra

Georg Solti, conductor

String Quartet No 13 in G, Op 106 (excerpt)

Martinu Quartet

Produced by Luke Whitlock, for BBC Wales

Donald Macleod sees Dvo\u0159\u00e1k return to his homeland and face some new creative challenges.