Antonín Dvořák

The symphony “From the New World” was inspired by a composer’s stay in America and an ongoing discussion about the nature of music there. The fact that Antonín Dvořák was successfully involved in it is also evidenced by one of the reviews after the New York premiere of the work, which had the title “A Lesson to American Composers.” Did you know that Neil Armstrong took a recording of this Dvořák piece with him to the moon in 1969? Perhaps because of the hectic atmosphere after the premiere of the symphony, Dvořák needed to slow down a bit. The intimate Suite in A major retains its American character, but from a formal point of view it is very similar to older works and to the Serenade in D minor. In both compositions, one can sense the composer’s finesse in working with small musical forms. For decades, we had the opportunity to witness Ewald Danel in the role of the concertmaster of the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra. This time he will appear in front of his colleagues in the role of a conductor.