Born the son of an innkeeper and occasional zither player in rural Moravia (now part of the Czech Republic), Antonín Dvorák showed astonishing musical promise from an early age. Recognising his talents, his parents did all they could to further his education, first in Zlonice and then in Ceská Kamenice. He moved to Prague at the age of 16, studying at the Prague Organ School where he learnt the fundamentals of harmony, continuo, modulation and improvisation for the first time. Dvoráks performing career also began here, as he played first in the Cecilia Society and then in the dance band of the elder Karel Komzák, familiarising himself with works by Mendelssohn, Schumann and Wagner for the first time. As well as working privately as a musician and teacher, Dvorák was quietly spending much of his free time composing, working on his first two symphonies and his song cycle Cypresses. Soon, Dvoráks steadily increasing oeuvre allowed him to apply for the Austrian State Stipendium, for which he submitted 15 compositions, including symphonies and overtures. His application met with success and was awarded again four more times, including in the crucial year 1877, in which Brahms first heard Dvoráks Moravian Duets. The German composer was so enthused, he insisted that they be published, and, following another successful publication, this time of his Slavonic Dances, Dvorák was suddenly thrown into the limelight. He was invited to play in concert halls all over Germany, and his success also took him to England, where he premiered his Seventh Symphony in 1885, in London, and his Requiem in 1891, this time in Birmingham. The composers reputation in Europe was sealed. In 1892, Dvorák travelled to America for the first time. It was here, in the New World, that the composer wrote some of his most famous compositions, taking inspiration from spirituals and plantation songs as well as Longfellows epic Hiawatha. His Ninth Symphony premiered at Carnegie Hall in 1893, to great success. However, the composer began to feel homesick for his Czech roots, and soon returned across the Atlantic. Back in his homeland, he completed his Cello Concerto, worked on some string quartets and even reinvented himself as a composer of programme music, scoring his evocatively titled symphonic poems including The Noon Witch and The Wild Dove. Dvorák died in 1904, leaving behind a legacy at least as great as that of fellow Czech composer Smetana. This box set includes all of his most popular works, including his large vocal compositions Rusalka, the Stabat Mater and Requiem, his orchestral symphonies that spanned the entirety of his career, and his smaller chamber works, including the Serenade for Strings and his string quartets. Featuring renowned performers, there is a pleasing mixture of re-releases of acclaimed performances and newer recordings. The mighty symphonies are tackled by the Staatskapelle Berlin, with 20th-century greats Ruggiero Ricci and Zara Nelsova playing the violin and cello concertos respectively. The Cohen Trio perform the piano trios in recordings acclaimed for their ""sense of discovery, of genuine and intimate chamber playing"" by BBC Music Magazine, and Peter Schreiers touching rendition of Dvoráks songs is described as being ""enchantingly sung"" with ""just the right tactful support"" (Gramophone). More recent performances include the only recording of Dvoráks Russian Songs by the Prague Singers, first released by Brilliant Classics in 2006.
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