Dvorak’s ‘Early’ Symphonies
have a checkered past, even though the final three (Nos.7-9) are considered
cornerstones of the symphonic repertoire.
I’ve always found it curious that an audience that embraced one (much
less three) symphonies by a great composer wouldn’t be the least bit curious to
hear the works that came before, particularly when Dvorak wrote six (!)
symphonies that lie in relative neglect.
What separates the ‘early’ symphonies of Dvorak from the three late
masterpieces? Did it truly take him six
attempts to hammer out a competent symphonic language? Conventional wisdom would tell us that, yes,
the first six are so-called apprentice attempts, useful for scholars but not
the lay audience, that simply wants tunes and dance rhythms in equal
measure. However, conventional wisdom,
particularly when it comes to art, is usually wrong. The Dvorak symphony cycle is (I feel) the
most consistently rewarding 19th century symphonic cycle after Beethoven,
rivaling for sheer variety and gusto even the symphonies of Brahms and Bruckner
(Schubert’s are a near rival, though the early symphonies lack variety for all
their charm). From the very beginning,
there is a clear voice that speaks Dvorak’s language, even if the earliest
works are a tad verbose and under the spell of Beethoven. Yet the mastery of form is there, the
creativity, and the jaw-dropping orchestration.
Almost every one of these symphonies could be a “greatest hits” piece of
a lesser composer, and Nos. 3, 5 and 6 in particular are masterpieces that by
some fluke of fate escaped the orchestral canon. Luckily, in our age of cheap music downloads
you can sample these works at leisure, deciding for yourself if history has
been unjust to Dvorak’s symphonic legacy. As you do, here’s a brief rundown of each piece
and its chief points of interest (click below to read about them...)
