Dvorak: Symphony No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 4

On this new five-channel Hybrid SACD, Zdenek Mácal conducts the legendary Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in Antonin Dvořák’s Symphonies Nos. 2 in B flat and 6 in D, the latter being the first of the composer’s mature works in the genre. Zdenek Mácal is considered to be one of the foremost interpreters of his compatriot’s music.

During a highly successful career Zdenek Macal has conducted over 160 orchestras worldwide including the Berlin Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony, the London Symphony Orchestra, the London Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Chicago Symphony, as well as appearing at major opera houses throughout Europe. He has recorded several discs with the Czech Philharmonic for Exton, with recent releases including Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 1, Mahler's Symphony No. 3, and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 (Pathètique).

Although Antonin Dvořák composed his Second Symphony in 1865, the work was not published until 1959 as part of the complete edition of his works. This recording uses a version that was performed in Prague in 1888 for which event the composer made many changes from the original manuscript. The Sixth Symphony dates from the years when the Dvořák’s reputation was spreading rapidly from his native Bohemia to the rest of Europe and beyond. It was written in just seven weeks between August and October 1880 in response to a request from the great conductor Hans Richter.