Revox Master Tape, ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK - SYMPHONY NO. 8

Symphony No. 8 (4) in G Major, Op. 88

Berlin Philharmonic - Rafael Kubelik

Antonín Dvořák's 8th Symphony in G Major sounds like a Bohemian ballad. The usual order of movements merely provides the framework here for the interplay of fresh melodies and highly personal instrumental effects, which can no longer be derived from the model of Brahms. A rhapsodic feeling pervades the entire work, which was created between August 26 and November 8, 1889.

Dvořák complained at the time that his head was so full of melodies that his hand was hardly able to put them on paper fast enough.

This abundance of ideas determined the character of the entire work: seemingly without pausing, Dvořák poured melody after melody, invented unusual combinations of sounds, and let major and minor episodes alternate in close proximity. A typical ballad-like feature is the beginning of the Allegro con brio in minor; then an ascending arpeggio figure in the flute leads into major and establishes the crucial dotted rhythm.

This movement is typical of Dvořák's "Slavonic" period; it can be considered a musical reflection of the Bohemian character – fiery one moment, lost in melancholy the next.

The Adagio in E-flat major continues this rhapsodic tone, with abruptly broken themes, interplay between strings and woodwinds, short and remarkably original development sections, rapid and unexpected contrasts.

The introductory theme of the Adagio is transformed in the third movement into a waltz in 3/8 time, beginning in G minor and unfolding with symphonic elan. In the rhythmically striking G major trio, the woodwinds quote a cheerful, bucolic melody from Dvořák's comic opera "The Blockhead".

A challenging trumpet fanfare announces the finale, whose dance-like 2/4 theme is transformed into lively variations. The opening motif of the variation theme is the same broken G major triad that had shaped the form of the main theme of the first movement in a similar rhythmic form. The variations proceed uncomplicatedly, with rich figuration, while the basic theme frequently comes powerfully to the fore. This finale proves that a powerful theme, skillfully orchestrated, can be repeated again and again without becoming boring. A stretto, whose elan would make Tchaikovsky proud, concludes the variations.

Dvořák dedicated the G Major Symphony to the "Bohemian Franz Joseph Academy for the Promotion of Art and Literature". He conducted the premiere in February 1890 in Prague.

Since the score was first published by Novello in London, this work is sometimes misleadingly known as the "English Symphony". In fact, it is one of Dvořák's essentially Bohemian compositions, the Slavic symphony par excellence, created by a musician who was close to nature and deeply connected to his homeland.

Label: Deutsche Grammophon

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