Dvorak: The Slavonic Dances (complete)
Dvorak: The Slavonic Dances (complete) The Cleveland Orchestra-George Szell Conducting Columbia-MS 7208
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PRACTICALLY
Anton Dvorak (1841-1904) is another nationalistic composer. Bom in Czechoslovakia, his art was primarily a homely one, engaging, lovable; only a misanthrope could resist it ; the music springs from a peasant mind, God-fearing and devoid of all guile. “In spite of the fact that I moved about in the great world of . music”, he once wrote, “I shall remain what I have always been-a simple Qzech musician.’’;'
The twelve Slavonic Dances’ musical language has a melodic freshness and spontenaiiy, a harmonic and formal nonchalance, together With traces of folk tunes and dances. The dances represented are the furiant: a Czech folk dance with two beat rhythm in a three beat measure; a skociia: a leap dance; spacirka: a Czech dance that features strutting and dancing in a circle; kolo: a Serbian round dance.
AESTHETICALLY
The music, of Dvorak (especially these dances) is not considered “heavy classical music”. They’re extremely light and will undoubtedly put you in good spirits. In fact its very difficult sitting still when listening to them. In the music, the vehement spirit of Bohemian village life lurks in countless fiery phrases springing from Dvorak’s imagination.
