Dvorak: Slavonic Dances Opp. 46 & 72 Czech Philharmonic & Jiri Belohlavek

• Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904): 8 Slavonic Dances, Op.46, B.83
• 1No.1 in C (Presto)04:26
• 2No.2 in E Minor (Allegretto scherzando)04:55
• 3No.3 in A Flat Major (Poco allegro)04:40
• 4No.4 in F Major (Tempo di minuetto)07:16
• 5No.5 in A Major (Allegro vivace)03:38
• 6No.6 in D Major (Allegretto scherzando)06:04
• 7No.7 in C Minor (Allegro assai)03:38
• 8No.8 in G Minor (Presto)04:42
• 8 Slavonic Dances, Op.72, B.147
• 9No.1 in B Major (Molto vivace)04:14
• 10No.2 in E Minor (Allegretto grazioso)05:41
• 11No.3 in F Major (Allegro)03:40
• 12No.4 in D Flat Major (Allegretto grazioso)05:33
• 13No.5 in B Flat Minor (Poco adagio)02:47
• 14No.6 in B Flat Major (Moderato, quasi minuetto)03:45
• 15No.7 in C Major (Allegro vivace)03:28
• 16No.8 in A Flat Major (Lento grazioso, ma non troppo, quasi tempo di valse)07:07
• Total Runtime01:15:34

Info for Dvorak: Slavonic Dances Opp. 46 & 72

Maestro Belohlavek and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra return to Decca with the unforgettable Slavonic Dances from one of the most melodious, harmonious and evocative late 19th Century composers - Dvorak.

Deccas acclaimed 2014 Complete Dvorak Concertos and Symphonies release was named as one of the Top Recordings of 2014 by the New York Times: ...the set as a whole stands as eloquent testimony to this eminent orchestras triumphant return to international prominence... James R. Oestreich, New York Times.

Performed and recorded by musicians who have an innate understanding and deep-rooted love for this music of their homeland, this is a first-rate recording, bringing great passion and lyricism to Dvoraks spellbinding Slavonic Dances.

There is no more authentic team today to play these works: the leading Czech orchestra with the leading Czech conductor, recording in the fine acoustic of the famous Rudolfinum in Prague.

In two sets, the Op.46 Slavonic Dances were such a success on release (in the late 1800s) that Dvoraks publisher immediately commissioned a further set (to become the Op.72) which inspired an equally enthusiastic reception.

Lively and colorful, both sets feature a variety of traditional forms of dance; Dvorak expertly working with the leaping gallop, polka odzemek and skocna, contrasted alongside luscious mazurkas and sousedsky.

„(Belohlaveks) return to the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra as music director has brought him back to his emotional and musical heartland. In works by Dvorak and Smetana, unbounded lyricism and Czech melancholy emerged with the authenticity that only this orchestra can bring.“ (The Guardian)

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
Jirí Belohlávek, conductor

Jirí Belohlávek
was born in Prague in 1946. His love of music became apparent at an early age, and following studies in cello and conducting, he was invited to become assistant conductor to Sergiu Celibidache in 1968. Belohlávek won the Czech Young Conductors’ Competition in 1970 and reached the final of the Herbert von Karajan Conducting Competition in 1971.

In 1977, Jirí Belohlávek began to serve as Chief Conductor of the Prague Symphony Orchestra, a position he held until 1990, when he was appointed Chief Conductor of the Czech Philharmonic. In 1994, he founded the Prague Philharmonia, an orchestra he then led as Chief Conductor and Music Director until 2005, when he was appointed its Conductor Laureate.

After serving as its Principal Guest Conductor between 1995 and 2000, Jirí Belohlávek was appointed Chief Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra in 2006. He conducted the orchestra at the Last Night of the Proms in 2007, becoming the first artist whose principal language is not English to undertake this important role. He performed at the Last Night of the Proms again in 2010 and 2012.

Jirí Belohlávek has also regularly conducted the Berlin Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, New York Philharmonic, Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, among others. He was recently appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.

Jirí Belohlávek has worked in the world of opera throughout his career, with regular appearances at the world’s main opera houses including Berlin, Covent Garden, Glyndebourne, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Opéra Bastille and Teatro Real. Recent and forthcoming highlights include new productions of Dvorák’s Rusalka at the Vienna Staatsoper (2014), Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades at the Zürich Opera House (2014), and Janácek’s Jenufa at the San Francisco Opera (2016).

Jirí Belohlávek has an extensive discography, including a complete Dvorák Symphonies cycle recently released by Decca, and is the first conductor since Herbert von Karajan to receive the Gramophone Award for Orchestral Recording two years running. In 2012, Queen Elizabeth II appointed Jirí Belohlávek an honorary CBE for services to music.

Booklet for Dvorak: Slavonic Dances Opp. 46 & 72