The Symphonic Premiere

Abstract

Bohemian composer Antonín Dvořák’s music reached American shores in the late 1870s and immediately found public favor. Infused with ethnic Bohemian gestures, Dvořák’s smaller character pieces caused the greatest sensation, but critics also welcomed his symphonies as some of the most promising recent examples of the genre. By the time he arrived on US shores to direct Jeannette Thurber’s National Conservatory in September 1892, Dvořák’s protean style had come to please and disappoint listeners in equal measure. An eager public awaited the sounds of his latest symphony, which premiered in December 1893 and would ultimately change the landscape of American classical music forever.