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Jeremy Siepmann

Classics Explained: DVORAK - Symphony No. 9, 'From the New World' (Siepmann)

Jeremy Siepmann

111 SONGS • 2 HOURS AND 28 MINUTES • JUL 01 2002

38
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": Humpty Dumpty: putting the bits back together again
00:20
39
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": First movement (complete)
11:36
40
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": The very opening chords unmistakably herald the arrival of something special.
01:06
41
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": The role of instrumentation in setting the scene...
01:10
42
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": ...and in enhancing the quality of one of the most famous tunes in symphonic history.
01:29
43
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": The cor anglais is joined by the clarinet, creating a fascinating change in the timbre.
01:08
44
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": For the closing part of the tune, there is another new sonority: cor anglais plus bassoon.
00:24
45
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": The closing bar is repeated by clarinets and bassoons, the horn adding a new touch
00:28
46
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": Back to the start to hear the whole of the story so far, this time without commentary
02:24
47
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": A change of scoring: the slow opening chords return, this time played by the winds alone.
01:14
48
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": The changes in scoring are just beginning.
02:35
49
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": The flutes and oboes introduce a new tune, over hushed tremolo strings.
01:05
50
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": A memorable combination of continuous, asymmetrical melody with steady, march-like counterpoint.
01:28
51
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": Back in that woodland glade, the light and shadows have changed, revealing new shapes and patterns.
01:33
52
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": The next section is new and forward-looking, yet also a kind of dream-recollection of a past scene.
01:30
53
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": An abrupt change of mood, much discussion and embellishment, and a hushed note of expectancy
02:01
54
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": Subjectivity and expertise; Sourek and Tovey disagree; onwards, into the final section
05:14
55
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": Cue to whole movement
00:10
56
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": Second movement (complete)
12:00
57
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": Dvorak, Beethoven, and the Scherzo. Dvorak purposely confuses the listener's expectations.
01:54
58
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": Using a little fanfare, Dvorak further builds up expectation before revealing the main theme.
00:21
59
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": When the theme is revealed, we find that it is not exactly a tune.
00:36
60
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": Two little bursts of rhythm provide the seeds from which much of the movement grows.
00:25
61
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": It is the second half of the theme that dominates.
00:22
62
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": Back to the beginning to hear the whole of this opening section
00:48
63
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": Without ever being remotely 'academic' or 'intellectual', there is much counterpoint going on here.
00:20
64
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": Dvorak's very Czech love of combining conflicting rhythms, sometimes metres
02:31
65
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": A clearly transitional passage, obsessed with the rhythmic tag that both opens and closes the theme
00:30
66
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": Sooner than we may have expected, we seem to have arrived at the Trio section.
01:07
67
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": A new kind of tone quality sheds a subtly different light on the theme.
00:35
68
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": The flutes and oboes now chime in with an answering variant of the opening...
00:21
69
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": ...and the cellos and bassoons take up the original version of the theme.
00:43
70
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": A false alarm: it was not the traditional Trio section at all, but rather part 2 of Scherzo proper
00:52
71
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": Soon, after a very rapid build, the Scherzo proper does reach its final phase.
01:13
72
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": The orchestral texture thins dramatically, and we approach what this time really is the Trio section.
01:28
73
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": The Trio section is reminiscent more of the 'Old World' than the 'New'.
00:50
74
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": In the second half of the Trio, a new tune emerges, a kind of Slavonic waltz.
01:00
75
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": The main theme of the Trio returns against a much fuller orchestral background.
00:36
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An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": Then it is all a matter of repeats, until we reach the coda, which ends with an explosive bang.
01:15
77
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": Third movement (complete)
08:07
78
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": Like the first movement, the fourth begins not with its main theme but with an introduction.
00:47
79
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": The main theme: an imposing march, introduced by trumpets and trombones, with timpani
00:48
80
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": The main theme, part two. A codetta-like passage closes off the march
01:01
81
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": The 'transitional' theme, while outwardly contrasting, is actually a hidden variant of the march.
00:53
82
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": A point of future obsession
00:16
83
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": The second half of this 'transitional' theme is given to the winds the strings have finished.
00:16
84
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": The 'obsession' takes root, with a ten-fold repetition, before the arrival of the second subject.
00:57
85
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": The hidden traps in sonata-form terminology: 'second main theme' vx. 'second subject'
02:31
86
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": The unexpected entry and subsequent ubiquity of 'Three Blind Mice'
01:23
87
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": We meet the mice again, now in the cellos and double-basses, where they persistently refuse to run.
00:36
88
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": More 'Three Blind Mice' material
00:30
89
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": The mice return to the basement, where the bassoons have joined the cellos and double-basses.
00:19
90
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": Next, they are back with the clarinets who pass them back to the cellos
00:18
91
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": Now they return to the high winds, delicately trilling.
00:15
92
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": Relief, at last: the mice back off, making way for a remainder of the main theme from the trumpets.
00:34
93
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": The mice yield to woodpeckers; the main theme is now doubled in speed
01:07
94
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": The triplets of the 'transitional' theme are now handed down through strings
00:23
95
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": Reminders of past movements begin to fly by, thick and fast, sometimes very fast.
00:28
96
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": In fact there are three bits of quotation going on here simultaneously.
00:23
97
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": The violas react every time the 'Goin' Home' theme is quoted by the winds.
00:13
98
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": The rhythm of the opening of the 'Goin' Home' theme dominates, transformed by trumpets
00:35
99
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": The march theme reappears as a Mendelssohnian fairy; the main theme from the 1st mov. now returns.
01:55
100
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": We reach an interesting point: have we heard the beginning of the recapitulation, or not?
01:05
101
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": Perhaps this is it? Back for a reminder of the theme proper, as we first heard it
01:41
102
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": Tovey places the start of the recapitulation here.
01:27
103
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": The main theme recast in pathetic rather than heroic terms - and with magical scoring
01:51
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An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": This unexpected crisis in confidence plays a major role in the overall dramatic impact of the mov.
01:49
105
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": The main theme returns - not complete, but chopped up into shorter and shorter fragments.
01:30
106
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": A glorious thematic stew; high drama, a powerful build-up... but then?
00:56
107
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": The dramatic highpoint of the mov., an astonishing transformation, but first, back to the original
01:26
108
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": The same chords again, this time blasted out by the entire wind and brass sections
01:09
109
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": Now we are into the finishing stretch, but the surprises continue to the very end of the very end.
01:42
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An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": Summary, context, and cue into the whole movement
01:05
111
An Introduction to … DVORAK Symphony No. 9, "From the New World": Fourth movement (complete)
11:04
℗© 2002 Naxos