Antonín Dvořák was born in Mühlhausen, Bohemia (now Nelahozeves, the Czech Republic), on September 8, 1841, and died in Prague on May 1, 1904. The first performance of the Symphony No. 8 took place in Prague on February 2, 1890, with the composer conducting the Prague National Theater Orchestra. The Eighth Symphony is scored for two flutes (2^nd doubling piccolo), two oboes (2^nd doubling English horn), two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, two trombones, bass trombone, tuba, timpani, and strings. Approximate performance time is thirty-six minutes.

While working on his Piano Quartet, Opus 87, Czech composer Antonín Dvořák told his friend, Alois Göbl: “It’s going unexpectedly easily and the melodies simply pour out of me.” On August 26, 1889, one week after finishing the Piano Quartet, Dvořák began work on his Symphony in G Major. It appears a similar level of inspiration attended the new orchestral work. Dvořák began to note ideas for the Symphony and started the composition sketch on September 6. Dvořák completed the sketches for all four movements by September 23 and finished the orchestration on November 8.

On February 2, 1890, Dvořák conducted the Prague National Theater Orchestra in the premiere of his Eighth Symphony. A few months later, the composer again presented the Symphony in honor of his election as Member of the Franz Josef Academy for Science, Literature, and Art in Prague. On June 16, 1891, the University of Cambridge bestowed an honorary Doctorate of Music upon Dvořák, who again offered his G-Major Symphony in commemoration of the event.

As with many of Dvořák’s compositions, the G-Major Symphony bears the influence of Czech folk melodies and rhythms. It is also in many ways highly innovative, suggesting new possibilities for traditional symphonic forms. According to Dvořák biographer Otakar Šourek, the composer (by his own admission) consciously strove to create “a work different from his other symphonies, with individual thoughts worked out in a new way.” This, Dvořák achieved in the context of energetic and optimistic music bursting with unforgettable melodies.

1. Allegro con brio — The Symphony begins with a somber introduction, played by the winds and cellos. This music serves as a unifying force throughout the movement, returning as a bridge to the development and recapitulation of the principal themes. Out of the shadows of the opening measures emerges the sprightly main theme, first played by the flute and soon, triumphantly, by the full orchestra. The flutes and clarinets, over triplet string accompaniment, play the minor-key second theme. The woodwinds then introduce a pianissimo chorale, repeated with great force by the entire orchestra. A stormy, contrapuntal development leads to the English horn’s recapitulation of the initial theme. The other themes return in sequence. The movement concludes with a brief, dramatic coda, prominently featuring the brass and timpani.
2. Adagio — The slow-tempo movement, in rather free form, presents a series of episodes essentially based on upon the opening four-note motif, consisting of rising sixteenth-note triplets and a quarter note. Especially captivating is an extended C-Major episode with a shimmering espressivo violin solo. The Adagio explores a variety of moods and colors, finally resolving to a peaceful close.
3. Allegretto grazioso—The third movement is in the character of a melancholy waltz. The first violins sing the principal melody, closely related to its counterpart in the Adagio. The lilting, major-key trio section prominently features the woodwinds. The traditional repeat of the waltz leads to a joyful Coda (Molto vivace) in 2/4 time, serving as a bridge to the finale.
4. Allegro, ma non troppo — Trumpet calls launch the finale. The cellos introduce the theme that serves as the basis for a series of diverse and often thrilling variations. In the midst of the variations, the trumpet-call motif returns. A series of lyrical variations finally yields to a jubilant coda (Tempo I), as the Symphony dashes to a rousing close.

Program note by Ken Meltzer