Up to 30% off Brilliant Classics

Dvorák considered himself only a modest pianist (he was a string player), and his music for piano has for long been neglected and considered of secondary importance to his symphonies, concertos and chamber works.

Whilst undoubtedly true, the output for solo piano does contain some of his more mundane efforts, closer study of the music reveals some gems well worth getting to know, and that all contain his innate gift for melody.

His largest work featuring piano, the G major piano concerto has finally made some headway in the concert repertoire, and has always been championed by leading pianists – Richter and Aimard to name just two. The piano trios, quartets and the quintet all have effective piano parts, and are well laid out for the pianist.

So why has the solo piano music been so neglected? These works span his entire creative life, from the simple little Polka in E of 1860, to the Theme and Variations, Suite in A, and the Humoresques of 1894. These last three works are his masterpieces for piano, and indeed the Seventh Humoresque in G became very famous due its use in a Joan Crawford film in 1946, and through arrangements by Fritz Kreisler and Art Tatum. The Suite in A, dating from his time in America (where he composed his Ninth Symphony ‘From the New World’) is better known today in its orchestral version. These CDs contain some wonderful little known music by one the best loved composers – music that deserves a wider audience.

Spread over nine CDs, this release represents a treasure trove of works by Dvořák, dedicated to and featuring the best of his orchestral music. The composer stands as the most popular of the Czech nationalist movement, one who despite German influences (Dvořák counted Brahms and Wagner among his inspirations) became a byword in the assimilation of folk roots into serious musical composition. Not only did he use existing melodies, but he composed his own folk‐based themes too. Apart from the nine symphonies, which of course include the enduringly popular ‘New World’, written during the composer’s sojourn in America, the compilation also features a series of overtures (such as the famous Carnival Overture, an exuberant celebration of human life at its best), tone poems (A Hero’s Song, which is a sort of Czech equivalent to Strauss’s somewhat later Ein Heldenleben, and four gruesome folk ballads which represent the composer’s Indian Summer, among others), the famous Czech Suite which has a Mozart Serenade quality about it, and the two sets of Slavonic Dances – the first of which represents a tribute from the younger composer to Brahms’s own Hungarian Dances and firmly established Dvořák as a leader of the new Czech national school. Performing these works is a trio of great ensembles: the Staatskapelle Berlin under their esteemed director of 26 years, Otmar Suitner; The Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra – natural experts in this type of repertoire; and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, performing under the baton of John Farrer. The edition is an excellent addition to the Brilliant Classics orchestral catalogue and records a crucial facet of the output of one of Europe’s most famous composers.

Recordings: 1979–2004.. Contains notes on the composer and the music.

‘the standard of the orchestral playing is high’ Gramophone 1999

It was by chance in 1900 that Dvorák came by the libretto for Rusalka by the poet Jaroslav Kvapil. It had been declined by two of Dvorak’s pupils, Nedbal and Suk, as well as J.B. Foerster. Dvorák was delighted with the libretto, and completed the score within a year. Rusalka was premiered in 1901 and has become Dvorak’s most popular opera. It was also the first of his operas to break free of the Wagnerian style that had permeated his earlier stage works. Here, he manages to use to great effect the Wagner of Die Walküre, and has infused that influence with some of his most daring and original music.

The famous ‘Song to the Moon’ sung by Rusalka has become one of the most famous arias in all opera. Unaccountably Rusalka had to wait until 1950 for its UK premiere; the US premiere was in 1935, a ‘mere’ 31 years after the composer’s death.

Dvorák, like Bruckner was a devout Catholic. However, unlike Bruckner Dvorák did not have to compose religious music for church occasions. And, unlike the turbulent life led by the catholic convert Mahler, his life was one of domestic stability and happiness – if occasionally afflicted by periods of terrible grief and loss. It was the death of his daughter in 1876 (she was just two days old) that co-incided with the composition of the Stabat Mater. The text dating from the 13th century depicts Mary at the foot of the Cross, mourning her son. Dvorák worked on the score for several years, during which all Dvorák’s remaining children tragically died. Otaker aged 3, and his other daughter Ruzena aged just 1 year. The Stabat Mater displays Dvorák’s knowledge of the oratorios of both Handel and Mendelssohn, and the work met with success at home and in the UK where he conducted the British premiere in 1883.

The Serenade Op.22 for strings is one of his most popular works, and dates from 1875. The work is full of dance rhythms and in the slower movements an introverted passion with a melancholic character. The long melodic lines show that no matter how hard Dvorák tried to shake off the influence of Wagner (his Third and Fourth Symphonies are heavily Wagnerian in places) the Bayreuth master still cast his shadow over the mature Dvorák.

New booklet notes and sung texts.