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?

There was one musical form in which Dvo艡谩k never achieved the success he wanted. His first attempt at opera was immediately consigned to the bin by the critical composer and his second, as we heard on Monday, was a disaster. Despite these setbacks there was rarely a period in Dvo艡谩k鈥檚 life when he wasn鈥檛 writing opera.

Donald Mcleod considers what drove him to persevere, when his other works were so well received by audiences at home and abroad. Why was opera so important to Dvo艡谩k, and what held him back? We鈥檒l hear extracts from Vanda, The King and Charcoal Burner, Dimitrij and Rusalka as well as one of Dvo艡谩k鈥檚 other dramatic compositions, the tone poem The Noonday Witch.

Vanda (Overture)
Prague Radio Orchestra
Franti拧ek Dyk, conductor

The King and the Charcoal Burner (Act 11, scene 7)
L铆via Aghov谩, soprano (Lidu拧ka)
Michelle Breedt, mezzo-soprano (Anna)
Peter Mikul谩拧, bass (Mat臎j)
Michal Lehotsk媒, tenor (Jenik)
Prague Chamber Choir
WDR Rundfunkchor K枚ln & WDR Sinfonieorchester K枚ln
Gerd Albrecht, conductor

Dimitrij (Act 4, scene 3)
Krassimira Stoyanova, sopranp
M眉nchner Rundfunkorchester
Pavel Baleff, conductor

The Noon Witch, Op 196
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
Charles Mackerras, conductor

Rusalka (Act 3)
Renne Fleming, soprano (Rusalka)
Ben Heppner (Prince
Franz Howlata (The Water Goblin)
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
Charles Mackerras, conductor

Produced by Cerian Arianrhod for 大象传媒 Cymru Wales.