Music from a “new world” that has made it up into space: Antonin Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95 is one of the most popular pieces in the world among orchestras. The master of transparent sound, Paavo Järvi, conducts his world-class ensemble Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich. The performance was recorded live on September 1, 2023, at the Bonn Opera House during the Beethovenfest Bonn.
(00:00) Coming on stage
(00:19) I. Adagio. Allegro molto
(12:56) II. Largo
(25:19) III. Scherzo: Molto vivace
(32:44) IV. Finale: Allegro con fuoco
Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95 “From the New World” is the musical testimony of a fusion of sounds from home and abroad. Although Dvořák composed the world-famous Ninth Symphony “in the spirit of American folk songs” during a stay in the USA, he actually invented the themes and motifs to be reminiscent of Bohemian folk tunes himself.
Dvořák (1841-1904) had left his homeland in Bohemia (in what is today the Czech Republic) in 1892 for New York, where he was director of the National Conservatory of Music until 1895. Dvořák named the symphony he wrote in New York in 1893 “From the New World,” after it was first published as Symphony No. 5. According to the composer, the symphony was intended to reflect his idea of the spirit of American music.
Dvořák had listened to melodies of North American natives and African Americans played to him to capture their musical spirit - he by no means wanted to completely replicate the music. In the second and third movements of “From the New World,” Dvořák also references the epic poem Hiawatha by U.S. author Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882), which tells the story of the fictitious chief Hiawatha.
But beyond the explicit agenda of writing the symphony “From the New World,” Dvořák also incorporated Bohemian folk music into his Ninth and drew from this mix a wealth of catchy melodies. It is the fusion of supposedly North American and Bohemian folk music that gives Dvořák's Symphony No. 9 its special appeal.
The premiere on December 16, 1893, with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Anton Seidl, was a resounding success, as were the first performances in Europe. To this day, Dvořák's Ninth Symphony is very popular with audiences. And astronaut Neil Armstrong even took it with him on the Apollo 11 mission that led to the first moon landing in 1969.
Estonian Grammy Award-winning conductor Paavo Järvi is widely recognized as one of today’s most eminent conductors, enjoying close partnerships with the finest orchestras around the world. He serves as Chief Conductor of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich and has served as the long-standing Artistic Director of The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen since 2004. From the start of the 2022/23 season, he has also been Honorary Conductor of the NHK Symphony Orchestra.
The Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, founded in 1868, is one of Switzerland’s leading musical ensembles. Around 100 musicians perform about 50 different programs in over 100 concerts each season. Guest performances have taken the orchestra to cities in over 30 countries. Recently, the orchestra received the European Culture Prize 2022 together with Paavo Järvi.
The Beethovenfest Bonn is one of the oldest and most important music festivals in Germany. Founded in Beethoven’s birthplace in 1845 by Franz Liszt, it is now an internationally recognized cultural beacon, with around 80 events held in Bonn and the region every year in August and September.
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Thumbnail photo: © Gaetan Bally
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