Jiří Bělohlávek conducts Dvořák's Symphony No. 1

Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 3, conducted by Jiří Bělohlávek in 2014 with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, immerses us in the composer’s still youthful yet already ambitious early works. Composed at the age of twenty-four, this work reflects Dvořák’s mastery of classical forms and his boldness in tackling the symphony—the pinnacle of musical composition—while beginning to sketch out his own original personality. The work, long lost and rediscovered only in 1923, already heralds the emergence of a profoundly Czech musical language, inspired by folklore and the young composer’s expressive sensibility. Under the baton of Bělohlávek, a renowned expert in Slavic music, the orchestra brings to life the full orchestral richness and vitality of this forgotten work, revealing the tensions and dramatic structure that foreshadow Dvořák’s great symphonies to come…

Photo © Petra Hajska