大象传媒

Anton铆n Dvo艡谩k was no spring chicken when he found success as a composer. He was in his early thirties before he made his mark in his native Czech Republic, despite composing from a young age. Donald Macleod follows Dvo艡谩k as he attempts to win over successive audiences: from Prague to Vienna, England to America, before eventually returning to Prague and to the opera stage. Who did he need to impress in order to achieve the success he craved?

Today we鈥檙e in the Czech Republic, where the not so young Dvo艡谩k eventually overcame professional and personal disappointment to wow audiences and critics alike. Highly self-critical of his own work, Dvo艡谩k claimed that as a young man he was never short of paper to light a fire. But despite a slow start, he never gave up his dream of being a composer.

Thanks to some supportive individuals, Dvo艡谩k was eventually catapulted to fame, despite an early attempt at opera which was declared 鈥渨orse than Wagner 鈥� unsingable鈥�.

We鈥檒l hear a concert overture, a movement from the first of Dvo艡谩k鈥檚 symphonies to be performed publicly, and a series of love songs which were originally composed with his wife鈥檚 sister in mind.

Slavonic Dances, Op 46 (Dumka)
Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Nikolaus Harnoncourt, conductor

In Nature鈥檚 Realm, Op 91
Ulster Orchestra
Vernon Handley, conductor

Symphony No 3 in E flat major, Op 10 (3rd movt Allegro Vivace)
Czech Philharmonic
Ji艡铆 B臎lohl谩vek, conductor

P铆sn臎 Milostn茅, Op 83
Bernanda Fink, mezzo-soprano
Roger Vignoles, piano

Serenade, Op 44 (Minuetto)
Oslo Philharmonic Wind Soloists

Produced by Cerian Arianrhod for 大象传媒 Cymru Wales