# Dvorak's Lesser-Known Works-You Don't Know What You're Missing!



## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

Of course Dvorak is a well-known and popular composer, but unfortunately,his international reputation rests on only a handful of his works. Many people are familiar only with his last three symphonies,including the ever popular "New World", the cello concerto,the Slavonic Dances,
the "American" string quartet and perhaps a few other works.
But Dvorak wrote nine symphonies,like Beethoven and several other composers, and the rarely performed first six are well-worth hearing. There are quite a few recordings of them, but for some reason, conductors rarely program them live.
Only five of the Dvorak symphonies were published during the composer's lifetime, but when the other four were finally made available, the symphonies had to be renumbered by musicologists.
The familiar New World symhony had been known as no 5, but was changed to its correct number nine. 
The first two, early but not at all negligable works written in Dvorak's twenties, had been lost altogether,and disowned by the composer. The manuscript of the first was discovered by chance many years after Dvorak's death.
The first six symphonies are chock full of melodic invention and no one who enjoys the last three should miss them. 
Other orchestral works of Dvorak which deserve to be heard more often are the tone poems, four of which are based on Czech fairy tales, such as the "Noonday Witch",the "Water Goblin", 
"The Golden Spinning Wheel" and "The Wood Dove",plus the "Heroic Song", which has no specific program.
Then there are the "Symphonic Variations",based on an original theme, and the patriotic concert overtures "My Home, and the "Hussite " overture, based on Czech history, the "Othello" overture, and "In Nature's Realm".
The four "Slavonic Rhapsodies"(not to be confused with the familiar Slavinic Dances),
are also well-worth hearing.
Dvorak's Requiem is a work that is not at all inferior to the famous ones by Mozart,Berlioz, 
Faure, and Verdi. It's a very moving setting of requiem mass.
The piano concerto u=is delightful,but rarely performed by pianists, perhaps because it lacks 
the kind of technical fireworks many like in a piano concerto,and the violin concerto,though sometimes performed, has never achieved the prominence in the violin repertoire of those by Beethoven,Mendelssohn,Tchaikovsky,and Brahms for some reason.
And the familiar "American" string quartet is only one of many by this composer.
The oratorio "The Spectre's Bride" is a spooky faity tale about a young woman who longs for her betrothed who has fallen in battle,only to encounter his ghost ! Perhaps the fact that it's in the Czech language that has kept it from being performed widely, but it might become better known if translated versions were available.
Dvorak wrote about ten operas, of which only "Rusalka" is well-known outside the Czech Republic. And even this gorgeous opera was not seen often elsewhere until recently. 
But fortunately, it is now part of the establshed operatic repertoire.
But the delightfully droll "The Devil and Kate", an amusing comic opera about an obnoxious and overweight young woman who gets involved with a bumnbling assistant devil to lucifer, would delight audiences if they got a chance to see a production.
"Dimitrij" is actually the sequel to Mussorgsky's "Boris Godunov", and is the story of what happened to the pretender to the Russian throne after the death of Tsar Boris. 
Other Dvorak operas are his last,"Armida", the same story as several other operas by composers such as Rossini and Gluck, and "The Jacobin".
Although your chances of attending live performances of these undeservedly neglected works are pretty slim, there are fortunately quite a few recordings of them. 
Such eminent Czech and non-czech conductors as Kubelik,Kertesz,Vaclav Neumann, 
Witold Rowicki, Libor Pesek, Jiri Belohlavek and others have recorded the first six symphonies,
and there are excellent recordings of the other works by such conductors as Sir Charles Mackerras, Vaclav Talich,Jaroslav Krombholc, and others.
If you haven't heard the superb Decca recording of Rusalka with Renee Fleming and Ben Heppner with Sir Charles Mackerras conducting, get it posthaste, as well as the DVD of a Paris opera performance with Fleming.
Supraphon records of the Czech Republic is an infallible source of authentically Czech recordings of Dvorak's music, which is not to say that there is a lack of other fine recordings on other labels. 
If you haven't heard these less familiar Dvorak works you don't know what you're missing !


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## emiellucifuge (May 26, 2009)

I completely agree with you!

See my earlier thread on Dvoraks early symphonies here:
http://www.talkclassical.com/6200-dvoraks-early-symphonies.html

The 4th is possibly my favourite of his (after the 7th) but unfortunately I dont think many people get too excited here.

The tone poems however have garnered a fair amount of praise, truly deserving imo!

Dvoraks Requiem... i have only listened to it once but i didnt feel too positive about it, i much prefer a work you left out which is the Stabat Mater. I consider the Stabat Mater a true masterpiece, possibly the best Stabat Mater out there.

Rusalka is a nice opera but I dont Dvorak quite managed to 'get' opera writing, though he spent a good chunk of his life trying. Quite a shame!

Have you listened to some of the smaller pieces?
- Mazurka for violin
- Rondo for Cello
- Seven interludes for small orchestra
- Various Nocturnes, Polonaises, waltzes and Polkas
- Silent woods for Cello

He also has a huge load of chamber music. The piano quintet is fantastic!!!!
A violin sonata, violin and piano concerti, and quite a bit of solo piano music.


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## Comistra (Feb 27, 2010)

I wholeheartedly agree about Dvořák's early symphonies. At the moment I'm listening to No. 1; I can't say it's quite at the level of 7-8-9, but it really is an enjoyable piece. The second movement even hints at the much later finale of the 8th (but only slightly).

I recently purchased his American Suite on Naxos, not even bothering to see what else was on the disc. I was delighted to find 8 other small pieces (essentially covering emiellucifuge's list). I knew some of the pieces, but a lot of others were new to me. And to think that I would have been satisfied with just the American Suite!


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

I quite agree that Dvorak is worth exploring beyond his "greatest hits": Symphonies 8 & 9, American Quartet, etc... I have his complete symphonies in this edition...










and find in full or marvelous music. As a lover of choral music I can attest to the brilliance of his _Requiem_... as well as his _Stabat Mater_. Neither should we ignore his songs... which Magdalena Kozena has done much to bring to the attention of listeners beyond the Czech world:










His string quartets are also more than worthy of serious exploration.


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

I'm surprised at how some of his best pieces aren't even considered among his 'greatest'. For starters, never mind the early symphonies, the Sixth alone is worthy of being in the typical 7-8-9 group. The late symphonic poems don't get anywhere near as much attention as they should. I admit that the _Requiem_ isn't one of the best I've heard, but at least it got a bit of revitalisation recently with a new recording by Neeme Jarvi...


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## emiellucifuge (May 26, 2009)

Ah how I could forget the songs!

The 10 Biblical songs are among my favourite.


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## PoliteNewYorker (Dec 20, 2009)

Always been partial to symphony no. 2!


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## Head_case (Feb 5, 2010)

Dunno....as far as I was aware, Dvorak was already pretty famous? 

For instance - the film "Kolya" showcased Dvorak's work - the protagonist's biological father is a cellist who plays excerpts from his string quartet (you know the one!), string serenade and Slavonic Dances. When it came out, it reminded me of just how popular he was in college and why I loved listening to work. 

These days, I find it easier to concentrate on his string quartet cycle. The original Vlach Quartet produce some of the most original and warm home-y versions of his music. The New Vlach Quartet, led by Josef Vlach's daughter, is just as fantastic, although maybe not as rich in the old-fashioned sense of string quartet playing. 

As a string quartet composer, I often wonder about Dvorak - why do his early quartets sound like he was 'trying to get it right'?. These earlier string quartet works, are indeed, lesser works. A little like Schubert, his most epic transformations of the string quartet cycle happen later on (Quartets No. X-XIV). 

Now what about Viktor Kalabis; Lubos Fiser; Slyvie Bodorova, Pavel Haas; Vitezslava Kapralova - his fellow Czechs who have gone ignored for too long; some due to being 'degenerate' by the Nazis; some due to their modern idiom, and others due to the general emphasis on Dvorak as the sole representative of national expression....? When I ponder the Czech situation, only Dvorak; Bedrich Smetana and Leos Janacek ring bells with most when it comes to the Czech composers. Dvorak is plenty famous enough


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## starry (Jun 2, 2009)

Head_case said:


> Dunno....as far as I was aware, Dvorak was already pretty famous?
> 
> For instance - the film "Kolya" showcased Dvorak's work - the protagonist's biological father is a cellist who plays excerpts from his string quartet (you know the one!), string serenade and Slavonic Dances. When it came out, it reminded me of just how popular he was in college and why I loved listening to work.
> 
> ...


Some of his works aren't so famous though and I think that is the point. But yes as with other places there will be composers who deserve to be better known, and indeed some people feel the need to make a particular composer a 'national icon' which isn't really anything directly to do with music but with some other need some people feel.


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## JAKE WYB (May 28, 2009)

I always have adored every Dvorak symphony almost equally - 1,4,7 & 8 have all been my favouritres at one point - never 9 funnily enough though its still good. the fact that his earlier symphonies are underperformed is a tragedy that needs to be ironed out.
Particularly 2,3,4 which are so full of whistlable, lifeful tunes and freshness that they are an indespensable part of my collection as much as his 7,8,9

The tone poems are even more special to me - the noon witch has had some good outings recently but the water goblin has always been one of my 10 favourites - dramatic and as colourful as any liszt or tchaikovsky or even strauss.

The 13th String quartet is another overshadowed wwork - one of the very best in the repertiore as expansive and dramatic as death & the maiden and more exciting and unified than dvoraks very over-famous american quartet. Not that i ould say 13th quartet is lesser known, just unfairly overshadowed.


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## Head_case (Feb 5, 2010)

> some people feel the need to make a particular composer a 'national icon' which isn't really anything directly to do with music but with some other _need_ some people feel.


wouldn't be 'nationalism' by any chance? 

Same thoughts here....I do like the 'nationalist' composers like Smetana (Czech); Part (Estonian) although I think you're right....nationality can be a kind of mental rubric to categorise or 'file under country of origin' on one hand.....and on another....nationalist music can have a distinct musical language (folkloric, ethnic and anthemic) of its own....



> The 13th String quartet is another overshadowed wwork - one of the very best in the repertiore as expansive and dramatic as death & the maiden and more exciting and unified than dvoraks very over-famous american quartet. Not that i ould say 13th quartet is lesser known, just unfairly overshadowed.


Ooooh...the 13th was the first Dvorak Quartet that impressed me out of the Prague String Quartet Cycle. It was back in the days when music libraries loaned CDs ... and if you were a well-off student with your own compact CD player (I still have the same one - working! ), then you brought your books to study in the library, and listened to all of their CDs whilst reading, rather than taking them home to listen, and paying for them (possibly losing or damaging them in the process). Since then, I seem to latched onto the two Vlach Quartet versions; the Talich Quartet version; the Prazak Quartet version as my all time favs  If you've got other versions you'd recommend - I'm always on the prowl for more


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## starry (Jun 2, 2009)

Head_case said:


> wouldn't be 'nationalism' by any chance?
> 
> Same thoughts here....I do like the 'nationalist' composers like Smetana (Czech); Part (Estonian) although I think you're right....nationality can be a kind of mental rubric to categorise or 'file under country of origin' on one hand.....and on another....nationalist music can have a distinct musical language (folkloric, ethnic and anthemic) of its own....


Most musicians are influenced by music outside their political boundaries as well as inside, Dvorak for example liked the work of Brahms. In the New World symphony Dvorak claimed he was influenced by American folk music. But really alot of the icon stuff isn't always at the composer's behest, it's others just using the music for other means. Not that I blame composers who go along with it either, after all it guarantees them performances, money and status in the country where they are an icon.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

I listened to the Cello Concerto at work this week, but often hit the skip button. I realized it's just too much crashing and raging. It's weird I can listen to some hard rock or metal and be at more peace than with these brazen orchestral works. I'm sure someday I'll be in the mood for them again, but lately I've come to appreciate his chamber works more.

The trios are very nice, especially the "Dumky" as are the string quartets I've heard (Nos. 12 and 14). They have all the great Dvorak gestures without so much crash banging.


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## starry (Jun 2, 2009)

The more I think about it now the more brilliant Dvorak's promotion of himself in America must have been. Claim he's using ideas from American folktunes, say how much he loves the place, give them the pieces, make some money lol. Bringing the 'old world' tradition and reputation of classical music which some Americans may have craved for and sell it to them as being a piece which was theirs. A composer could do something like that today in an enthusiastic new nationalist area like eastern Europe, do a piece on their folk tunes and sell it to them. Shostakovich was great too, take advantage of being one of the state's accepted composers and yet also be seen as the tortured artist to the West. Wins both ways, genius.


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## HarpsichordConcerto (Jan 1, 2010)

Reading this useful thread, you have inspired me to go for Dvorak's symphonies (all of them). Naxos has a collection for a cheapy price. Anyone here have this collection? It includes _Symphonic Variations_ op.78 and _Legends_ op.59. Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Here is one out of the six CD in the set.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

I think Marin Alsop has also made some excellent recordings of Dvorak for Naxos...

I recently heard Dvorak's _Piano Quintet No. 2 'Dumky' _on radio. The slow movement was quite striking, using the most basic ideas, like a simple folk tune (probably not actual quotation, but I'm not sure). To me, it sounded somewhat similar to minimalism. The rest of the work didn't strike me half as much. I thought that the other movements sounded a bit Brahmsian...


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## emiellucifuge (May 26, 2009)

I dont think Dvorak actually quoted folk tunes, but rather took the essence of the folk music and turned it into his own.
I really like this quintet but I believe the 'Dumky' title is reserved for his 4th Piano trio!


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

Not sure if Rusalka is really one of his his lesser-known works, but...

Yesterday I have my first listen to it, the recording:










In general I find this opera very beautiful, it leasts about three hours and has no boring moments. In terms of defects, I would say that orchestral parts are sometimes kind of flat and maybe sort of regressive (considering that it was written around 1900).

Good thing is that I could understand many parts of libretto, I've read it just once before listening and luckily it turned out that I can understand Czech (which I never learned)  Bieda, bieda!


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## Herkku (Apr 18, 2010)

Quote from StlukasguildOhio: Neither should we ignore his songs... which Magdalena Kozena has done much to bring to the attention of listeners beyond the Czech world.

Besides Kozena there is another fine interpreter of Dvorak's songs: Bernarda Fink. She is Argentinean, but her parents Slovenian. So, don't let the name mislead you! She is at least Magdalena's equal here, if not better.


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## just Jeff (May 11, 2010)

*Dvorak Piano Concerto in G Minor, Op. 33*

My very first post here....

But I thought I would chime in here and say that one LP I have had for many years that I got in my first 5 Classical purchases (or there about) is:

*George Szell/Cleveland Orch. Rudolf Firkusny piano
Dvorak Piano Concerto in G Minor, Op. 33* on an old Odessey Y45210 reissued mono recording.

I found a white label promo in the used bins for about $2.99 back in the early 80s. Very nice performance and smooth recording.


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

The piano quintet op 81 is uniquely passionate, not much else like it. In a different way, the string quintet op 77 contains an essence comparable to the fresh 8th symphony boiled into a quintet that contains a double bass. It's very angular but lush all the same.

The 5th symphony has well formed outer movements that zip along, but the interior movements are particularly good. The slow movement is deeply and gently moving, while the scherzo is highly exuberant and unbridled.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Not everybody's cup of tea ......

*Dvorak:
*
Cypresses for string quartet, B152
Cypresses for Tenor & Piano, songs 1-18
Terzetto in C major for two Violins and Viola, Op. 74

Philip Langridge (tenor) & Radoslav Kvapil (piano)

English String Quartet


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## dieter (Feb 26, 2016)

Unknown but great Dvorak: 
Stabat Mater
Requiem
Much of his piano music, especailly the mid to later stuff.
The late Tone Poems, e.g. Wild dove
The songs
The Operas
Most of the chamber music: violin sonatas, most of the quartets before and after 'The American.'


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## Notorious JWB (May 6, 2016)

Pugg said:


> Not everybody's cup of tea ......
> 
> *Dvorak:
> *
> ...


Hey! I was JUST about to post about this particular recording, which I've just recently acquired and am really enjoying. I'd heard the Cypresses for quartet before but was unaware that it was actually based on a song cycle so it was interesting to finally hear that. I'd never even heard of Terzetto before, which is odd - it's a wonderful piece.

I was sort of familiar with The Wood Dove before but never really dove in until just last week. As tone poems go, it's practically a mini-symphony, so packed with ideas and diverse dynamics.

However, if I were to pick just one inexplicably overlooked piece by Dvorak, it's gotta be the Nocturne for Strings. I can't understand why this has never ranked among the big hits.


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## littlejohnuk1 (5 mo ago)

What about the Piano Concerto?


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## ORigel (May 7, 2020)

Try the Double Bass Quintet. The slow movement is sublime.





The Czech and American suites are excellent, especially the former.


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## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

starry said:


> The more I think about it now the more brilliant Dvorak's promotion of himself in America must have been. Claim he's using ideas from American folktunes, say how much he loves the place, give them the pieces, make some money lol. Bringing the 'old world' tradition and reputation of classical music which some Americans may have craved for and sell it to them as being a piece which was theirs. A composer could do something like that today in an enthusiastic new nationalist area like eastern Europe, do a piece on their folk tunes and sell it to them. Shostakovich was great too, take advantage of being one of the state's accepted composers and yet also be seen as the tortured artist to the West. Wins both ways, genius.


 Actually, Dvorak did not use any themes based on popular American folk songs or the spirituals of the black Americans of his day . The themes are all his own . He was trying to capture the spirit of America in this iconic masterpiece , and think he succeeded brilliantly .


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## Kjetil Heggelund (Jan 4, 2016)

I really love the piano concerto and piano trios <3


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## Mister Meow (10 mo ago)

I like his 5 bagatelles, among other works.


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