Jiří Bělohlávek conducts Dvořák's Symphony No. 4

First partially presented to the general public in 1874 under the baton of the great Bedřich Smetana, Dvořák’s Fourth Symphony resurfaced on several occasions throughout the composer’s life, mirroring some of its key moments. The symphony initially marked Dvořák’s emancipation from the Germanic music of the time, particularly the influences of Brahms and Wagner, who had served as 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 with Dvořák himself at the podium during his farewell tour of Bohemia and Moravia, before his departure for the New World…

Photo © Petra Hajska