What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[Lethevich]

I should explore Antonín Dvořák more than I have done so far. I only know the Cello Concerto , the last three symphonies and a few symphonic poems...

Lucky - there is a lot to hear! Especially if you like chamber music, there are treats in store

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Lucky - there is a lot to hear! Especially if you like chamber music, there are treats in store

I love chamber music. I now remember I must have heard two string quartets by our birthday boy, the 'Dumky' and the 'American'. But only the once...

[Lethevich]

I love chamber music. I now remember I must have heard two string quartets by our birthday boy, the 'Dumky' and the 'American'. But only the once...

Given the anniversary, this is a perfect excuse TO MAKE A LIST

God-tier:

Symphony No.7-9
Cello Concerto
Violin Concerto
Piano Trio No.3
Piano Quintet No.2
Slavonic Dances (orchestrated and piano duo)
Water Goblin, Golden Spinning Wheel, Noonday Witch

Elite-tier:

Symphony No.5, 6
Symphonic Variations
The Wood Dove
Concert Overtures
Serenades for strings/winds
String Quartet No.12, 13
String Quintet No.3
String Sextet
Piano Trio No.4
Piano Quartet No.2
Stabat Mater
Te Deum
Lieder in czech language (eg the Moravian songs)
Rusalka

Really-need-to-listen-to-it-as-well-tier:

Piano Concerto
Piano Quartet No.1, Quintet No.1
String Quartet No.14
Slavonic Rhapsodies
Czech and American Suites

The cool thing about Dvořák is that with a list like this, I am sure that I am still missing things.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

  Given the anniversary, this is a perfect excuse TO MAKE A LIST 

Now you're putting a certain song into my head... But - thanks, I'm going to copy that!

[DavidW]

Lethe everything in your second tier I would put in the first.  I rank the mature string quartets higher than the chamber works with piano... and honestly don't think that Dvorak was that great with the piano.

[Luke]

It isn't your typical Dvorak Dvorak, but please, please try the 3rd symphony. It is utterly adorable, and I MO the best and most perfectly realised of his early symphs. The Wagner force is strong in that one, but not detrimentlly so, and the first movement, with is luscious flat keys and suptuous divided strings, is in its own way one of Dvorak's greatest symphonic movements, I think. Do listen!

[Lethevich]

Edit: np no.7
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Lethe everything in your second tier I would put in the first.  I rank the mature string quartets higher than the chamber works with piano... and honestly don't think that Dvorak was that great with the piano.

I definitely don't like his solo piano music (well, it's nice, but nothing to obsess about), but I find that with his use for it in ensemble music there is a strange charm. It works best in his "symphonic" piano concerto, where the role is completely non-virtuoso, but the same appeal works for me in the quintets. I agree, it's imperfect music, though, but there is a great richness of content to it.

[Opus106]

I love chamber music. I now remember I must have heard two string quartets by our birthday boy, the 'Dumky' and the 'American'. But only the once...

Dumky is a piano trio, Johann. However, his string quartet No. 10 has a movement structured on the musical form (Dumka).

Thread duty: My name sake, played by the Alban Berg Quaret. And the String Quintet No. 3, played by the Pavel Haas Quartet with Karel Untermüller (c. 2008).

[Luke]

Edit: np no.7
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I definitely don't like his solo piano music (well, it's nice, but nothing to obsess about), but I find that with his use for it in ensemble music there is a strange charm. It works best in his "symphonic" piano concerto, where the role is completely non-virtuoso, but the same appeal works for me in the quintets. I agree, it's imperfect music, though, but there is a great richness of content to it.

The Silhouettes are more than nice, IMO, and very important to the composer personally. They are early, quixotic and deeply personal and relate to Dvorak's ouput in the same way that, say, Brahms' op 9 Schumann Variations relate to his, perhaps. Other than that, I too can happily leave Dvorak's piano music alone.

[Brian]

I should explore Antonín Dvořák more than I have done so far. I only know the Cello Concerto , the last three symphonies and a few symphonic poems...

Jaw --------------------------> floor

(listening to Piano Trio No 1 by the way)

JZ, my top 10 favorite Dvorak pieces would be something like (by instrumentation):
Symphony No 8
Symphony No 7
Symphony No 3
Cello Concerto
The Water Goblin
Te Deum
String Quartet No 13
Piano Quintet op 81
Piano Trio No 4 'Dumky'
String Quintet Op 77

The late tone-poems anticipate Janacek; at least one commentator thinks the Eighth Symphony anticipates Mahler; when I heard the 'Gothic' second movement it reminded me of the Third Symphony in a sort of intangible spiritual way (not by any evidential connection). Mostly I agree with Sara's list, except I'd put Quartet 13 in the God tier (listen to the Pavel Haas CD!!!!!!!!! Does the number of !'s illustrate my love for that CD???), and the Stabat Mater is too long and Brahmsian for me. I forgot about the string sextet, that piece is glorious. The piano concerto is a really lovely hybrid of mature Dvorak, tributes to Mozart, and the lyricism of Schubert. Did you know Dvorak is my favorite composer?

[Luke]

when I heard the 'Gothic' second movement it reminded me of the Third Symphony in a sort of intangible spiritual way (not by any evidential connection).

Interesting....both are slow, solemn minor-key 'funeral'-type processionals, for a start...

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Thanks for all the recommendations and the one correction...    The coming months I hope to improve my standing among the Dvorak crowd... 

[Brian]

The Silhouettes are more than nice, IMO, and very important to the composer personally. They are early, quixotic and deeply personal and relate to Dvorak's ouput in the same way that, say, Brahms' op 9 Schumann Variations relate to his, perhaps. Other than that, I too can happily leave Dvorak's piano music alone.

I'd urge you to try the fourth of the Humoresques - in it I hear a sort of mission statement for the next five decades of piano jazz (Veselka on Naxos brings this out best). Other than that and the American Suite I don't do much with the piano music.

Looks like we agree on the Third. A really terrific piece. The third and fourth movements of the Second Symphony are, I think, the symphonic birth of Dvorak's musical language - they couldn't possibly have been written by anyone else.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Did you know Dvorak is my favorite composer?

This is as shocking a revelation as 'Luke, I am your father'.

[Luke]

I'd urge you to try the fourth of the Humoresques - in it I hear a sort of mission statement for the next five decades of piano jazz (Veselka on Naxos brings this out best). Other than that and the American Suite I don't do much with the piano music.

I know that piece, and I know what you mean, though I think the likeness to a few jazz cliches is coincidental here, as they are all classical music cliches too which, when put in a dance-music context, take on a jazzy tinge.

Looks like we agree on the Third. A really terrific piece. The third and fourth movements of the Second Symphony are, I think, the symphonic birth of Dvorak's musical language - they couldn't possibly have been written by anyone else.

The Third has long been my own favourite among the Dvorak symphonies, since I was young, (even though I knew even t an early age that it was supposed to be one of the later ones  ) I found the score in a music shop in Prague when I was about 11, I suppose (I got 1, 4, 5, at the same time, and already had 7 and 9, but 3 was the one which floored me). Later the 7th came to share that place, but the 3rd is the one I truly love - Dvorak's music continuously inspires love, genuine love, in the way few composers do, and of the symphonies no 3 is the one which most fills me with that feeling.

[Luke]

This is as shocking a revelation as 'Luke, I am your father'.

Now you tell me? Yes, that is rather shocking, I have to say....   

[Brian]

I know that piece, and I know what you mean, though I think the likeness to a few jazz cliches is coincidental here, as they are all classical music cliches too which, when put in a dance-music context, take on a jazzy tinge.

Well, that's probably true enough, but I like to imagine. 

My own favorite is the Eighth, both because it pretty much exactly suits my own personality and because when I finally realized how central that opening long-short-short-long rhythm is to each movement, fireworks started going off in my brain. Three might be in second place, though, depending on whether I'm in the mood for the Seventh or not - and the Seventh really is breathtaking. I've never been too keen on No 9...

This is as shocking a revelation as 'Luke, I am your father'.

Well... who did you think my favorite composer was?!?! 

[mc ukrneal]

Given the anniversary, this is a perfect excuse TO MAKE A LIST
...
The cool thing about Dvořák is that with a list like this, I am sure that I am still missing things.

You forgot Legends, which is one of my absolutely favorite Dvorak pieces. I think I will listen:


and there is this version I like as well:
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[DavidW]

I don't like the 3rd symphony that much.  For me I say #6-9 and leave the others for the hardcore Dvorak fans.

I can't believe you don't like his Stabat Mater Brian, it's one of his greatest works!  Beautiful, deep, stirring... give it another try sometime.

[Brahmsian]

Dvorak attention alert!  He's always been around a Top 10 composer for me, but he could over the long run creep up even higher.

Besides his 7th and 8th symphonies, I absolutely adore the 4th symphony (there is a most glorious, sublime theme in the 1st movement).  And I personally think his String Quartet No. 10 belongs in the God tier.     Really, string quartets 7 or 8-14 are fantastic.  And so is most of his chamber music.  Also, the Serenade(s) for strings (not sure if there is more than one).  Apparently, Rusalka is a top notch opera (although I myself have not heard it).  Not sure if you are into opera or not, Johan?

Oh yes, do check out the 4 tone poems, and the Czech and American Suites.  Also, the Slavonic Dances are delightful.