Prometheus Symphony 1/25/2026 - Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904): Symphony No. 7 in D minor, Op. 70 (1885)

Описание: On Sunday, January 25, 2026, at Valley Center for the Performing Arts, Oakland CA the Prometheus Symphony presented:

Symphony No. 7 in D minor, Op. 70 Antonín Dvořák
1841-1904

03:26 Allegro maestoso.
14:54 Poco adagio.
24:36 Scherzo: Vivace.
33:02 Finale: Allegro.

Program Note by Dale DeBaksy:

If you corner a Dvořák enthusiast and present them with the statement,
“The New World is Dvořák’s most popular symphony,” the response you will inevitably receive in turn is, “Ah yes, but the Seventh is his greatest.” Donald Tovey thought so. Bernard Shore thought so. And, in about forty minutes, you just might think so too.

The Seventh is a product of several massive, often contradictory forces that were pulling Dvořák in different directions in the mid-1880s. On one hand, he was enjoying the phenomenal-unto-delirious success of his works in England which kicked off with the debut of his Slavonic Dances in 1879 and which grew into a positive mania with his arrival in the country in 1884 to conduct his Hussite Overture. Everybody, from the average music lover to the most discerning and surly of music critics, was taken in by the energy and charm of Dvořák’s compositions, creating a demand for his works in England on par with the great Haydn craze of a century before.

In 1884, Dvořák was made an honorary member of London's prestigious Philharmonic Society, which commissioned him to compose a new symphony for their upcoming season. It had been half a decade since the debut of his Symphony No. 6 (the first of his symphonies which had actually been published), and the arrival of Brahms's Third Symphonyin 1883 had inspired Dvořák with the desire to make another fresh contribution to the genre. The Philharmonic's offer was just the excuse he needed to focus his creative energies.

But what was the new symphony going to be “about”? Enter the other hand. For, while Dvořák was personally experiencing adulation from British crowds, his nation was in the midst of a decades-long funk. Once the proud kingdom of Bohemia, it had lost its status as an important electorate in the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, and had subsequently been absorbed into the Austrian Empire, standing by forlornly while other Austrian lands, like Hungary, received their own independent status within the Empire.

A resurgent sense of pride in the great cultural past of Bohemia had been building since the 18th century, however, and Dvořák wanted his new symphony to take part in this flowering. In it, we hear his people's capacity for heroism and resistance, their centuries-long sense of national loss, and their rich rhythmic and melodic traditions. e premiere on April 22, 1885 under Dvořák’s own baton was a complete triumph - the audience applauded fervently between every movement, and George Bernard Shaw declared it a masterpiece on the spot. Now a melancholy lament, now a swashbuckling good time, it is a work of irresistible allure that it is our distinct joy to share with you today. So go ahead, Czech it out!