Antonin Dvorak - Symphony No. 2 in B Flat Major Op. 4 (1865)

Symphony No. 2 by Antonin Dvorak. Conducted by Julian Kovatchev with the Orchestra of Teatro Giuseppe Verdi Trieste.

I. Allegro Con Moto - 00:00
II. Poco Adagio - 13:53
III. Scherzo - Allegro Con Brio - 31:24
IV. Finale - Allegro Con Fuoco - 45:09

Dvořák's Second Symphony, in B flat major, was written in the autumn of 1865, separated from the earlier symphony by the composition of the song-cycle Cypresses. It is scored for the same forces as its predecessor and is again in the usual four movements. The circumstances of composition were, as before, straitened. Dvořák was first viola in the Theatre Orchestra, leading a section of two players. His meagre income allowed him enough to share a room with a group of colleagues and friends, one of whom had a piano, an instrument he had been too poor to afford himself. The symphony was performed once in the composer's life-time, in 1888, in a revised version.

While some have seen a connection between Dvořák's C minor Symphony and Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, in the same key, others have detected a resemblance between the B flat major Symphony and Beethoven's Pastoral, if only one of mood. At the same time it is possible to detect an overt Wagnerian aspect to the work, in its harmonies and in its treatment of climaxes. The first movement is rich in melodic invention and displays the composer's command of the orchestra and Bohemian use of the wind instruments, which often assume prominence.

The slow movement is in G minor, gently evocative, the first of its three sections dominated by a gradually unwinding violin melody. There is an unexpected contrapuntal interruption of the lyrical flow of the music and a dramatic climax, as the trumpets introduce the return of the first section with a fanfare. The relative stillness of night is to be disturbed again before all is finished. This, the longest movement of the symphony, is followed by the scherzo, the introduction to which provides a slow transition to a principal melody of particular charm and music of marked contrast, before there is a shift to A major for the trio section of the movement. The sound of the scherzo melts away and the violas, in the least flattering part of their register, are entrusted with the sinister opening of the finale, which proceeds at once to something more cheerful, although the movement is not without darker touches.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Antonin
• Dvorak
• Symphony
• No
• 2
• in
• B
• Flat
• Major
• Op
• 4
• 1865

[JoelGallob]

Grand music. Thank you for putting this and the other Dvorak Symphonies on YouTube. It is a service to humanity, even if not all humanity knows it!

[rkentburke]

A magnificent performance. Supplants Kubelik, Sejna, every Czech recording. And it surpasses my previous favorite, Kertesz, from the very beginning. The ending is overwhelming. Thanks, Goldie, again!