Antonin Dvorak - Symphony No. 6 in D Major Op. 60 B. 112 (1880)

Symphony No. 6 by Antonin Dvorak. Conducted by Otmar Suitner with the Berliner Staatskapelle.

I. Allegro Non Tanto - 00:00
II. Adagio - 12:49
III. Scherzo - Presto - 23:03
IV. Finale - Allegro Con Spirito - 31:30

Dvořák wrote his Sixth Symphony for the conductor Hans Richter and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in 1880, but the prejudices of certain members of the orchestra towards the Czechs and their unwillingness to allow the inclusion of a new work by a new Czech composer so soon after the successful performance in 1879 of the third Slavonic Rhapsody allowed Adolf Cech, once the composer's colleague in the St. Cecilia Orchestra during student days, to give the first performance in Prague early in 1881. The following year August Manns conducted the symphony at a Crystal Palace concert in London, and Richter added a further London performance of the work he had commissioned three weeks later. The first Vienna performance was given in 1883 by Wilhelm Gericke for the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde. The symphony is scored for the usual pairs of woodwind instruments, four horns, a pair of trumpets, three trombones and tuba, timpani and strings.

Attention has been drawn to similarities between the D major Symphony and the symphony by Brahms in the same key, although Dvorak's work bears the indelible stamp of his own genius at its height and may be heard as a tribute to the man who had earlier given him timely help in his career. The symphony opens with repeated accompanying chords played by horns and divided violas, above which the principal theme gradually appears. There is a superb slow movement in the key of B flat, followed by a scherzo bearing the subtitle furiant, a Czech peasant dance, with a contrasting trio, pierced by the piccolo in pastoral mood. The strings open the finale with a long drawn Brahmsian theme, joined by the wind and swelling soon to triumphant dimensions in a thoroughly satisfying conclusion.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Antonin
• Dvorak
• Symphony
• No
• 6
• in
• D
• Major
• Op
• 60
• B
• 112
• 1880

[OisirM]

Such a lovely piece. I just discovered it and I am enamoured. I won't make judgements about Dvorak vs. Brahms, but I'm very much partial to Dvorak.

[robion1957]

@Mezzotenor youtube has become the greatest public free classical music archive in history. it is the gutenberg of sound.

[Mezzotenor]

Very fine performance, indeed! I won't take sides in the Brahms vs. Dvorak controversy -- it's like choosing to give up either Thanksgiving turkey or Xmas ham! -- but I'd assert that that this symphony is underrated. Once again, the combination of YouTube and passionate music fans is giving the classics a new audience and encouraging folks to express their ideas. I'm not concerned about the differences in opinions; there is always room for dialogue.

[TheXand19]

Mmm, yes. Shallow *and* pedantic.

[akagi2002]

I love this piece since I was 25 years old, but I doubt if it is "far superior" to Brahms' second. I think this is a criticism, which Dvorak himself would not have agreed with.

[MasterAzunai]

And in my opinion, I find this a far superior symphony to that of Brahms.

[MasterAzunai]

Dvořák is one of my favorite composers and this remains (behind the seventh and eighth, with the eighth as favorite) one of my favorite symphonies. Dvořák's melodies are infectious and his orchestration is perfect. The piece is very well played and the tempi, dynamics, and balance are flawless.

I'm also curious to know what the picture is?