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Dvořák at the gym
A deep dive while staving off dotage
I spend a significant amount of time walking and going to the gym each week. Besides staving off the days of my dotage, it gives me a chance to listen to a lot of music. I’m not sure where the thought came from, but I realized that I wanted to take a week to listen to only Antonín Dvořák. I had listened to his Symphonies 7, 8, and 9 for decades, but had barely touched his other symphonies.
As I mounted the stationary bike on Sunday, I did a Spotify search for Dvořák’s Sixth Symphony. I selected a recording made with the Vienna Philharmonic, since it was originally composed for the Vienna Philharmonic. The Sixth was paired with Dvořák’s Eighth. The Sixth was originally published as Dvořák’s Symphony No. 1. All of Dvořák’s symphonies have numerical issues based on his publisher’s opinions.
The Sixth was composed in 1880 and bears all of Dvořák’s hallmarks as a composer. The opening is lush and lyrical. The second movement is graceful and introspective, the scherzo is buoyant and energetic, and the finale displays a Bohemian elegance, if such a thing can be said to exist.
Yet, compared to the Eighth...well, it doesn’t compare well to the Eighth. Had Dvořák not composed the Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth, his Sixth might be more significant than it is.
Video:
Dvorak: Symphony No. 6
I moved on to the Fifth. Written five years earlier, the Fifth is Dvořák’s pastoral symphony. It opens with a figure reminiscent of a birdcall. All of Dvořák’s melodic prowess is on display in this symphony.
Video:
Dvorak: Symphony No. 5
The Fourth, from one year earlier, has been said to be influenced thematically by Richard Wagner’s music — but structurally, it sounds like Johannes Brahms to me. Brahms was a champion of Dvořák and it’s easy to hear why. To my ear, Brahms could have written Dvořák’s Fourth.
Video:
Dvorak: Symphony No. 4
Dvořák’s Third was composed while he was still an orchestral violinist at the Provisional Theatre in Prague. Wagner again comes up in discussions of this composition, as Dvořák was infatuated with the influential German’s compositions for the theatre.
Video:
Dvorak: Symphony No. 3
The Second Symphony was composed in 1865, and marks Dvořak’s first significant entry into the symphonic genre. In this work, Dvořak establishes a clear connection to the folk music of his homeland. I listened to this symphony more than the others. I found it to be more ambitious and entertaining than those that came after it.
Video:
Dvorak: Symphony No. 2
To finish things off, I wanted to listen to some of Dvořak’s chamber music. I’ve listened to his American Quartet quite often, but that’s about it for Dvořak’s chamber music. I chose his Piano Quintet No. 2. I adored it from start to finish.
Video:
Dvorak: Piano Quintet No. 2
Here's something you might be interested in.
Dvořák at the gym
A deep dive while staving off dotage
Dvořák at the gym
A deep dive while staving off dotage
I spend a significant amount of time walking and going to the gym each week. Besides staving off the days of my dotage, it gives me a chance to listen to a lot of music. I’m not sure where the thought came from, but I realized that I wanted to take a week to listen to only Antonín Dvořák. I had listened to his Symphonies 7, 8, and 9 for decades, but had barely touched his other symphonies.
As I mounted the stationary bike on Sunday, I did a Spotify search for Dvořák’s Sixth Symphony. I selected a recording made with the Vienna Philharmonic, since it was originally composed for the Vienna Philharmonic. The Sixth was paired with Dvořák’s Eighth. The Sixth was originally published as Dvořák’s Symphony No. 1. All of Dvořák’s symphonies have numerical issues based on his publisher’s opinions.
The Sixth was composed in 1880 and bears all of Dvořák’s hallmarks as a composer. The opening is lush and lyrical. The second movement is graceful and introspective, the scherzo is buoyant and energetic, and the finale displays a Bohemian elegance, if such a thing can be said to exist.
Yet, compared to the Eighth...well, it doesn’t compare well to the Eighth. Had Dvořák not composed the Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth, his Sixth might be more significant than it is.
Video:
Dvorak: Symphony No. 6
I moved on to the Fifth. Written five years earlier, the Fifth is Dvořák’s pastoral symphony. It opens with a figure reminiscent of a birdcall. All of Dvořák’s melodic prowess is on display in this symphony.
Video:
Dvorak: Symphony No. 5
The Fourth, from one year earlier, has been said to be influenced thematically by Richard Wagner’s music — but structurally, it sounds like Johannes Brahms to me. Brahms was a champion of Dvořák and it’s easy to hear why. To my ear, Brahms could have written Dvořák’s Fourth.
Video:
Dvorak: Symphony No. 4
Dvořák’s Third was composed while he was still an orchestral violinist at the Provisional Theatre in Prague. Wagner again comes up in discussions of this composition, as Dvořák was infatuated with the influential German’s compositions for the theatre.
Video:
Dvorak: Symphony No. 3
The Second Symphony was composed in 1865, and marks Dvořak’s first significant entry into the symphonic genre. In this work, Dvořak establishes a clear connection to the folk music of his homeland. I listened to this symphony more than the others. I found it to be more ambitious and entertaining than those that came after it.
Video:
Dvorak: Symphony No. 2
To finish things off, I wanted to listen to some of Dvořak’s chamber music. I’ve listened to his American Quartet quite often, but that’s about it for Dvořak’s chamber music. I chose his Piano Quintet No. 2. I adored it from start to finish.
Video:
Dvorak: Piano Quintet No. 2