Dvorak And America

Series

Episode

Title

First
Broadcast

Comments

2022

An Invitation

20220613

Donald Macleod looks at why Dvo?ကk turned down, and then later agreed to, an extended trip to the USA.

Anton퀀n Dvo?ကk became the first Czech composer to achieve global fame. His gift for transforming the folk styles of his native Bohemia into richly romantic classical music won him admirers far beyond his homeland. Consequently, Dvo?ကk was approached to leave Europe and serve as director of the newly established National Conservatory of Music in America. His sponsors hoped he would help foster a new and distinctive American musical style, less reliant upon Germanic traditions. During his time in America, Dvo?ကk composed many of his most celebrated works, including his Ninth Symphony and his Cello Concerto. This week, Donald Macleod focuses on Dvo?ကk's American years and uncovers what he achieved there.

Anton퀀n Dvo?ကk was employed at the Conservatory in Prague from 1890 and developed a reputation as a hard taskmaster. He taught only the most talented students and could be very strict and demanding. But outside of classes, he would take any opportunity he could to escape the confines of academia and fulfil his twin passions of trainspotting or bird feeding. When an offer arrived from Mrs Jeanette Meyer Thurber, the wife of a millionaire New York grocer, suggesting Dvo?ကk might like to abandon Prague for New York and take up the post of director at the new National Conservatory of Music, he turned it down. So what changed his mind? Donald investigates.

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

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

Marin Alsop, conductor

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

Christian Tetzlaff, violin

Tanja Tetzlaff, cello

Lars Vogt, piano

Carnival Overture, Op 92

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

Libor Peek, conductor

Requiem, Op 89 (Introitus)

Christiane Libor, soprano

Ewa Wolak, alto

Daniel Kirch, tenor

Janusz Monarcha, bass

Warsaw National Philharmonic Choir

Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra

Antoni Wit, conductor

Symphony No 4 in D minor, Op 13 (excerpt)

Royal Scottish National Orchestra

Neeme J䀀rvi, condcutor

Silent Woods, Op 68 No 5

Alisa Weilerstein, cello

Anna Polonsky, piano

Donald Macleod explores the circumstances leading up to Dvo\u0159\u00e1k's visit to America.

2022

Arrival In America

20220614

Donald Macleod finds out what Americans made of this famous composer, newly arrived from Bohemia.

Dvo?ကk was in awe of the metropolis when he and his family first arrived in New York. They were greeted at the quayside by a delegation from the Conservatoire and were soon whisked off to their new apartment at the Clarendon Hotel where a Steinway piano had been delivered for his use. He noted that everything was clean and expensive. Dvo?ကk was also taken with the lack of divisions between those with or without wealth; he was mightily impressed that talented students were given entry to the Conservatoire, regardless of financial or racial background. Dvo?ကk was greatly taken with the cultural scene in New York too. His own grand inaugural concert took place towards the end of 1892 at a packed Carnegie Hall, where his Te Deum was performed to huge acclaim.

Symphony No 8 in G, Op 88 (excerpt)

Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra

Mariss Jansons, conductor

Requiem, Op 89 (Confutatis Maledictis)

Prague Philharmonic Choir

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

Jakub Hr?a, conductor

Symphony No 6 in D, Op 60 (Scherzo: Furiant)

Ji?퀀 B?lohlကvek, conductor

Symphony No 8 in G, Op 88 (Allegretto grazioso - Molto vivace)

Te Deum, Op 102

Kate?ina Kn?퀀kovက, soprano

Svatopluk Sem, baritone

Harry T. Burleigh

Southland Sketches (excerpt)

Arnold Steinhardt, violin

Victor Steinhardt, piano

Donald Macleod explores Dvo\u0159\u00e1k's first impressions of America.

2022

Meeting Harry Burleigh

20220615

Donald Macleod traces the important friendship Dvo?ကk established with African American singer and composer Harry T Burleigh.

1893 was Dvo?ကk's first full year working in America and his new surroundings were beginning to inspire him. A theme from his Sonatina for violin and piano was written down when Dvo?ကk was visiting the Minnehaha Falls. At the Conservatory in New York, Dvo?ကk encountered a young singer and future composer, Harry T Burleigh, who enjoyed singing spirituals in the halls. The older man was struck not only by Burleigh's distinctive voice but also by the songs that he was singing. Could this be the sort of music he'd been looking for in his quest to establish an authentic American musical language? The two quickly became firm friends. When Dvo?ကk later unveiled his Ninth symphony, he revealed he'd found inspiration in African American music, and subtitled his work, `From the New World`.

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

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

Nikolaus Harnoncourt, conductor

Sonatina for violin and piano, Op 100 (Larghetto)

Randall Goosby, violin

Zhu Wang, piano

Trad. arranged by Harry T. Burleigh

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

Karen Parks, soprano

Wayne Sanders, piano

Go Down Moses

Paul Robeson, bass baritone

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

Sapporo Symphony Orchestra

Tadaaki Otaka, conductor

String Quintet, Op 97 `American` (excerpt)

Pavel Haas Quartet

Pavel Nikl, viola

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

Dvo\u0159\u00e1k forms a bond with African American musician Harry T Burleigh. With Donald Macleod

2022

Homesick

20220616

Donald Macleod surveys Dvo?ကk's second full year in America when the Czech composer begins to feel unsettled.

During 1894, Dvo?ကk's second full year in America, the charm of the New World was wearing a little thin. The previous year he'd taken a summer vacation to Spillville where, amongst a Czech community there, Dvo?ကk had begun to feel pangs of homesickness. His time as Director of the Conservatory of Music was proving productive however dark clouds were slowly appearing. The salary he'd been promised by Mrs. Thurber, who'd established the conservatoire, had not been forthcoming; Dvo?ကk began to wonder if it ever would be. Increasingly disheartened, Dvo?ကk returned to his native Bohemia for the summer. He returned to America for the Autumn term where he continued to explore African American spirituals, alongside his friend and unofficial student, Harry T. Burleigh, who was developing his own voice as a Black American composer and arranger.

Humoresques, Op 101 No.7 (excerpt)

Inna Poroshina, piano

Suite in A, Op 98B (Allegro)

Russian Philharmonic Orchestra

Dmitry Yablonsky, conductor

String Quartet No 12 in F, Op 96 `The American` (Vivace)

kampa Quartet

Humoresques, Op 101 (excerpt)

Biblical Songs, Op 99 (excerpt)

Magdalena Kozenက, mezzo-soprano

Berlin Philharmonic,

Simon Rattle, conductor

Among the Fuchsias, from Five Songs of Laurence Hope

Cynthia Haymon, soprano

Warren Jones, piano

Worth While, from Five Songs of Laurence Hope

Donald Macleod follows Dvo\u0159\u00e1k as he makes a trip back home to Bohemia.

2022

05 LAST

Leaving America

20220617

Donald Macleod shows how Dvo?ကk's American experiences continued to influence his music, even after he had returned home.

Dvo?ကk waved goodbye to America for the last time in April 1895. He'd become incredibly homesick for his beloved Bohemia and the financial prospects he'd been led to expect from his post as Director of the National Conservatory of Music had not materialised. Before leaving, he'd started work on his Cello Concerto, inspired by his yearning for the Bohemian countryside. Back at home, Dvo?ကk also completed his String Quartet No 13 which some have seen to be his final work to have musical associations with America.

Dvo?ကk's had set out to encourage American musicians to look to their own traditions rather than simply following behind Europe. He may not have been entirely successful but he did encourage others in that aim, such as Harry T. Burleigh. Burleigh said of Dvo?ကk that he'd assisted in changing attitudes of African Americans towards their own folk tradition, and most importantly, that Dvo?ကk 'was a man of the people'.

Cello Concerto in B minor, Op 104 (excerpt)

Alisa Weilerstein, cello

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

Ji?퀀 B?lohlကvek, conductor

Dvo?ကk Arr. J. Suk

Lullaby, B194

Josef Suk, viola

Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano

String Quartet No 14, Op 105 (Molto vivace)

Alban Berg Quartet

Cello Concerto in B minor, Op 104 (Adagio ma non troppo)

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

Pavel Haas Quartet

Cello Concerto in B minor, Op 104 (Finale)

Donald Macleod explores Dvo\u0159\u00e1k's final months in America.

Episodes

Series	Episode	Title	First Broadcast	Comments
2022	01	An Invitation	20220613	Donald Macleod looks at why Dvo?ကk turned down, and then later agreed to, an extended trip to the USA. Anton퀀n Dvo?ကk became the first Czech composer to achieve global fame. His gift for transforming the folk styles of his native Bohemia into richly romantic classical music won him admirers far beyond his homeland. Consequently, Dvo?ကk was approached to leave Europe and serve as director of the newly established National Conservatory of Music in America. His sponsors hoped he would help foster a new and distinctive American musical style, less reliant upon Germanic traditions. During his time in America, Dvo?ကk composed many of his most celebrated works, including his Ninth Symphony and his Cello Concerto. This week, Donald Macleod focuses on Dvo?ကk's American years and uncovers what he achieved there. Anton퀀n Dvo?ကk was employed at the Conservatory in Prague from 1890 and developed a reputation as a hard taskmaster. He taught only the most talented students and could be very strict and demanding. But outside of classes, he would take any opportunity he could to escape the confines of academia and fulfil his twin passions of trainspotting or bird feeding. When an offer arrived from Mrs Jeanette Meyer Thurber, the wife of a millionaire New York grocer, suggesting Dvo?ကk might like to abandon Prague for New York and take up the post of director at the new National Conservatory of Music, he turned it down. So what changed his mind? Donald investigates. Symphony No 9 in E minor, Op 95 `From the New World` (excerpt) Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Marin Alsop, conductor Piano Trio No 4 in E minor, Op 90 `Dumky` (Lento maestoso) Christian Tetzlaff, violin Tanja Tetzlaff, cello Lars Vogt, piano Carnival Overture, Op 92 Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Libor Peek, conductor Requiem, Op 89 (Introitus) Christiane Libor, soprano Ewa Wolak, alto Daniel Kirch, tenor Janusz Monarcha, bass Warsaw National Philharmonic Choir Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra Antoni Wit, conductor Symphony No 4 in D minor, Op 13 (excerpt) Royal Scottish National Orchestra Neeme J䀀rvi, condcutor Silent Woods, Op 68 No 5 Alisa Weilerstein, cello Anna Polonsky, piano Donald Macleod explores the circumstances leading up to Dvo\u0159\u00e1k's visit to America.
2022	02	Arrival In America	20220614	Donald Macleod finds out what Americans made of this famous composer, newly arrived from Bohemia. Anton퀀n Dvo?ကk became the first Czech composer to achieve global fame. His gift for transforming the folk styles of his native Bohemia into richly romantic classical music won him admirers far beyond his homeland. Consequently, Dvo?ကk was approached to leave Europe and serve as director of the newly established National Conservatory of Music in America. His sponsors hoped he would help foster a new and distinctive American musical style, less reliant upon Germanic traditions. During his time in America, Dvo?ကk composed many of his most celebrated works, including his Ninth Symphony and his Cello Concerto. This week, Donald Macleod focuses on Dvo?ကk's American years and uncovers what he achieved there. Dvo?ကk was in awe of the metropolis when he and his family first arrived in New York. They were greeted at the quayside by a delegation from the Conservatoire and were soon whisked off to their new apartment at the Clarendon Hotel where a Steinway piano had been delivered for his use. He noted that everything was clean and expensive. Dvo?ကk was also taken with the lack of divisions between those with or without wealth; he was mightily impressed that talented students were given entry to the Conservatoire, regardless of financial or racial background. Dvo?ကk was greatly taken with the cultural scene in New York too. His own grand inaugural concert took place towards the end of 1892 at a packed Carnegie Hall, where his Te Deum was performed to huge acclaim. Symphony No 8 in G, Op 88 (excerpt) Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra Mariss Jansons, conductor Requiem, Op 89 (Confutatis Maledictis) Prague Philharmonic Choir Czech Philharmonic Orchestra Jakub Hr?a, conductor Symphony No 6 in D, Op 60 (Scherzo: Furiant) Ji?퀀 B?lohlကvek, conductor Symphony No 8 in G, Op 88 (Allegretto grazioso - Molto vivace) Te Deum, Op 102 Kate?ina Kn?퀀kovက, soprano Svatopluk Sem, baritone Harry T. Burleigh Southland Sketches (excerpt) Arnold Steinhardt, violin Victor Steinhardt, piano Donald Macleod explores Dvo\u0159\u00e1k's first impressions of America.
2022	03	Meeting Harry Burleigh	20220615	Donald Macleod traces the important friendship Dvo?ကk established with African American singer and composer Harry T Burleigh. Anton퀀n Dvo?ကk became the first Czech composer to achieve global fame. His gift for transforming the folk styles of his native Bohemia into richly romantic classical music won him admirers far beyond his homeland. Consequently, Dvo?ကk was approached to leave Europe and serve as director of the newly established National Conservatory of Music in America. His sponsors hoped he would help foster a new and distinctive American musical style, less reliant upon Germanic traditions. During his time in America, Dvo?ကk composed many of his most celebrated works, including his Ninth Symphony and his Cello Concerto. This week, Donald Macleod focuses on Dvo?ကk's American years and uncovers what he achieved there. 1893 was Dvo?ကk's first full year working in America and his new surroundings were beginning to inspire him. A theme from his Sonatina for violin and piano was written down when Dvo?ကk was visiting the Minnehaha Falls. At the Conservatory in New York, Dvo?ကk encountered a young singer and future composer, Harry T Burleigh, who enjoyed singing spirituals in the halls. The older man was struck not only by Burleigh's distinctive voice but also by the songs that he was singing. Could this be the sort of music he'd been looking for in his quest to establish an authentic American musical language? The two quickly became firm friends. When Dvo?ကk later unveiled his Ninth symphony, he revealed he'd found inspiration in African American music, and subtitled his work, `From the New World`. Symphony No 9 in E minor, Op 95 `From the New World` (excerpt) Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Nikolaus Harnoncourt, conductor Sonatina for violin and piano, Op 100 (Larghetto) Randall Goosby, violin Zhu Wang, piano Trad. arranged by Harry T. Burleigh Swing Low, Sweet Chariot Karen Parks, soprano Wayne Sanders, piano Go Down Moses Paul Robeson, bass baritone Symphony No 9 in E minor, Op 95 `From the New World` (Largo) Sapporo Symphony Orchestra Tadaaki Otaka, conductor String Quintet, Op 97 `American` (excerpt) Pavel Haas Quartet Pavel Nikl, viola Symphony No 9 in E minor, Op 95 `From the New World` (Allegro con fuoco) Dvo\u0159\u00e1k forms a bond with African American musician Harry T Burleigh. With Donald Macleod
2022	04	Homesick	20220616	Donald Macleod surveys Dvo?ကk's second full year in America when the Czech composer begins to feel unsettled. Anton퀀n Dvo?ကk became the first Czech composer to achieve global fame. His gift for transforming the folk styles of his native Bohemia into richly romantic classical music won him admirers far beyond his homeland. Consequently, Dvo?ကk was approached to leave Europe and serve as director of the newly established National Conservatory of Music in America. His sponsors hoped he would help foster a new and distinctive American musical style, less reliant upon Germanic traditions. During his time in America, Dvo?ကk composed many of his most celebrated works, including his Ninth Symphony and his Cello Concerto. This week, Donald Macleod focuses on Dvo?ကk's American years and uncovers what he achieved there. During 1894, Dvo?ကk's second full year in America, the charm of the New World was wearing a little thin. The previous year he'd taken a summer vacation to Spillville where, amongst a Czech community there, Dvo?ကk had begun to feel pangs of homesickness. His time as Director of the Conservatory of Music was proving productive however dark clouds were slowly appearing. The salary he'd been promised by Mrs. Thurber, who'd established the conservatoire, had not been forthcoming; Dvo?ကk began to wonder if it ever would be. Increasingly disheartened, Dvo?ကk returned to his native Bohemia for the summer. He returned to America for the Autumn term where he continued to explore African American spirituals, alongside his friend and unofficial student, Harry T. Burleigh, who was developing his own voice as a Black American composer and arranger. Humoresques, Op 101 No.7 (excerpt) Inna Poroshina, piano Suite in A, Op 98B (Allegro) Russian Philharmonic Orchestra Dmitry Yablonsky, conductor String Quartet No 12 in F, Op 96 `The American` (Vivace) kampa Quartet Humoresques, Op 101 (excerpt) Biblical Songs, Op 99 (excerpt) Magdalena Kozenက, mezzo-soprano Berlin Philharmonic, Simon Rattle, conductor Among the Fuchsias, from Five Songs of Laurence Hope Cynthia Haymon, soprano Warren Jones, piano Worth While, from Five Songs of Laurence Hope Donald Macleod follows Dvo\u0159\u00e1k as he makes a trip back home to Bohemia.
2022	05 LAST	Leaving America	20220617	Donald Macleod shows how Dvo?ကk's American experiences continued to influence his music, even after he had returned home. Anton퀀n Dvo?ကk became the first Czech composer to achieve global fame. His gift for transforming the folk styles of his native Bohemia into richly romantic classical music won him admirers far beyond his homeland. Consequently, Dvo?ကk was approached to leave Europe and serve as director of the newly established National Conservatory of Music in America. His sponsors hoped he would help foster a new and distinctive American musical style, less reliant upon Germanic traditions. During his time in America, Dvo?ကk composed many of his most celebrated works, including his Ninth Symphony and his Cello Concerto. This week, Donald Macleod focuses on Dvo?ကk's American years and uncovers what he achieved there . Dvo?ကk waved goodbye to America for the last time in April 1895. He'd become incredibly homesick for his beloved Bohemia and the financial prospects he'd been led to expect from his post as Director of the National Conservatory of Music had not materialised. Before leaving, he'd started work on his Cello Concerto, inspired by his yearning for the Bohemian countryside. Back at home, Dvo?ကk also completed his String Quartet No 13 which some have seen to be his final work to have musical associations with America. Dvo?ကk's had set out to encourage American musicians to look to their own traditions rather than simply following behind Europe. He may not have been entirely successful but he did encourage others in that aim, such as Harry T. Burleigh. Burleigh said of Dvo?ကk that he'd assisted in changing attitudes of African Americans towards their own folk tradition, and most importantly, that Dvo?ကk 'was a man of the people'. Cello Concerto in B minor, Op 104 (excerpt) Alisa Weilerstein, cello Czech Philharmonic Orchestra Ji?퀀 B?lohlကvek, conductor Dvo?ကk Arr. J. Suk Lullaby, B194 Josef Suk, viola Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano String Quartet No 14, Op 105 (Molto vivace) Alban Berg Quartet Cello Concerto in B minor, Op 104 (Adagio ma non troppo) String Quartet No 13 in G, Op 106 (excerpt) Pavel Haas Quartet Cello Concerto in B minor, Op 104 (Finale) Donald Macleod explores Dvo\u0159\u00e1k's final months in America.