The Symphony No. 6 in D major, opus 60, was composed by Antonín Dvořák in 1880, and first published as no. 1. It is dedicated to the German conductor Hans Richter, who requested Dvořák compose a symphony for the Vienna Philharmonic (although they never performed it under Richter). The work's first performance was given in Prague on March 25 1881, with the Prague Philharmonic conducted by Adolf Cech. Performances followed the next the year in Leipzig and London, and in 1883 in Vienna. The London performance, in May 1882, with the Royal Philharmonic Society conducted by Richter, led that group to commission a new symphony from Dvořák, resulting in his Symphony No. 7. The Sixth Symphony runs between 40 and 45 minutes in performance. Dvořák scored it for 2 flutes (2nd doubling piccolo), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, and strings. The Symphony in four movements:
- Allegro non tanto
- Adagio
- Scherzo: Furiant (Presto)
- Finale: Allegro con spirito
The first movement shows the influence of Brahms's own Symphony No. 2 in D major, and features lyrical writing for the strings and woodwind with grandioso contributions from the brass. The slow second movement continues the pastoral mood, in a style demonstrating Dvořák's reverence of Beethoven, in particular for Beethoven's "Eroica" Symphony (No. 3). The third-movement Scherzo is reminiscent of his Slavonic Dances. The symphony was so well received at its first performance that this movement was repeated as an encore. The fourth-movement finale again shows the influence of Brahms, and the coda brings the symphony to an exciting presto conclusion. After Dvořák's death, the composer's symphonies fell out of the general repertory across much of the world, with the notable exception of the very popular New World Symphony (No. 9). Outside of Prague, the Sixth received very few performances in the first half the twentieth century. Renewed interest in the range of Dvořák's music was generated by the publication of a complete critical edition of his symphonies in the 1950s. Since that time, the Sixth has regained a foothold in the repertory, delighting audiences with its nationalistic vigor, tunefulness, and musical zest. More than a dozen commercial recordings have been made of this work since the 1960s, including widely respected versions conducted by Istvan Kertesz, Rafael Kubelik, Christoph von Dohnanyi, and Jirí Belohlávek.
Sources and Resources
- Steinberg, Michael. The Symphony: A Listener's Guide. Oxford University Press, 1995.
- Symphony No. 6 was available at the International Music Score Library Project.
