Jiří Bělohlávek Conducts Dvořák's Symphony No. 4

First partially presented to the general public in 1874, under the baton of Bedřich Smetana, who conducted its Scherzo, Dvořák’s Fourth Symphony resurfaced on several occasions throughout the composer’s life, mirroring some of its key moments. The symphony initially marked its creator’s emancipation from the Germanic music of the time, particularly the influences of Brahms and Wagner, who served as the Czech composer’s guiding lights in the earlier stages of his career. Although the influence of the German masters can still be heard in some of its themes, the Symphony No. 4 in D Minor foreshadows Dvořák’s turn toward the folk melodies of his homeland, which are omnipresent in all his subsequent symphonies. In 1892, the Fourth was performed in its entirety under Dvořák’s own baton during his farewell tour of Bohemia and Moravia, before his departure for the New World…

Photo © Petra Hajska