Dvorák, Symphony No.9 in E minor, op.95 "From the New World" (and Rehearsal)

Synopsis

In 1892 Antonin Dvorák accepted the invitation of a wealthy Mrs. Thurber to become the director of her National Conservatory of Music in New York. During the time he spent in America, he composed, among other works, the Symphony No. 9 (originally published as No. 5) "From the New World". Dvorak was fascinated by Negro spirituals and the songs and dances of American Indians. In an interview, he claimed: "In the Negro melodies of America, I discovered all that is needed for a great and noble school of music." Though the pentatonic and modal scales he used in the Ninth Symphony can also be found in folk music of many countries, including his native Bohemia, the melodies of the Ninth have become indelibly associated with America. Particularly "American" in flavor are the flute melody of the first movement, which recalls the spiritual "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot", and the theme of the slow movement. The symphony was recorded during a concert given by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under Karl Böhm at Vienna's Musikvereinssaal in the late 1970s.

Additional Info

• No: A05500370
• Composer: Antonín Dvorák
• Conductor: Karl Böhm
• Orchestra: Wiener Philharmoniker
• Production year: 1978
• Run time: 00:46:00
• Director: Hugo Käch
• Producers: Unitel