Dvořák: Slavonic Dances [Prague Symphony Orchestra]

Conducted by Tomáš Brauner, the Prague Symphony Orchestra (Symfonický orchestr hlavního města Prahy FOK) performs Antonín Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances, a series of 16 orchestral pieces written in 1878 and 1886 and published in two sets as Opus 46 and Opus 72 respectively. Concertmaster: Rita Čepurčenko. Recorded on January 1, 2021.

Dvořák: Slavonic Dances Programme

The Slavonic Dances are a series of 16 orchestral pieces composed by Antonín Dvořák in 1878 and 1886 and published in two sets as Opus 46 and Opus 72 respectively; they were inspired by Johannes Brahms’s own Hungarian Dances. The types of dances upon which Dvořák based his music include the furiant, the dumka, the polka, the sousedská, the skočná, the mazurka, the odzemek, the špacírka, the kolo and the polonaise.

Opus 46

1. No. 1 in B major (Odzemek)
2. No. 2 in E minor (Dumka)
3. No. 3 in A-flat major (Polka)
4. No. 4 in F major (Sousedská)
5. No. 5 in A major (Skočná)
6. No. 6 in D major (Sousedská)
7. No. 7 in C minor (Skočná)
8. No. 8 in G minor (Furiant)

Opus 72

1. No. 1 in B major (Odzemek)
2. No. 2 in E minor (Starodávný)
3. No. 3 in F major (Skočná)
4. No. 4 in D-flat major (Dumka)
5. No. 5 in B-flat minor (Špacírka)
6. No. 6 in B-flat major (Starodávný (“Ancient”))
7. No. 7 in C major (Kolo)
8. No. 8 in A-flat major (Sousedská)

Originally written for piano four hands, the Slavonic Dances were inspired by Johannes Brahms’s own Hungarian Dances and were orchestrated at the request of Dvořák’s publisher soon after composition. The pieces, lively and overtly nationalistic, were well received at the time and today are among the composer’s most memorable works, occasionally making appearances in popular culture.

The Op. 46 set is listed in the Burghauser catalog as B.78 in the original piano four-hand version, and as B.83 in the orchestral version. The Op. 72 set is cataloged as B.145 in the piano four-hand version, and as B.147 in the orchestral version.

Prague Symphony Orchestra (Symfonický orchestr hlavního města Prahy FOK)

Founded by the Czech-Australian conductor Rudolf Pekárek (24 February 1900 – 26 October 1974) in 1934, The Prague Symphony Orchestra (Czech: Symfonický orchestr hlavního města Prahy FOK) is a Czech orchestra based in Prague.

The orchestra has traditionally been known by the acronym”FOK”, standing for “Film-Opera-Koncert”, reflecting the orchestra’s fields of activity as envisioned by its founder.

When the city of Prague made the orchestra its official concert ensemble in 1952, it retained the acronym, giving it the official title “Symphony Orchestra of the Capital City of Prague – FOK”.

The orchestra performed the scores for many Czech films and also appeared regularly on Czech radio.

Sources

• Slavonic Dances on Wikipedia
• Prague Symphony Orchestra on Wikipedia