Requiem of Antonín Dvořák

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The composer Antonin Dvořák (1841-1904) was the foremost representative of the 19th century Czech nationalist school of music. After studying in Prague, he scored his first major success with the Slavonic Dances (1878). He had professional ties and friends in Anglo-Saxon musical circles and composed his famous 9th symphony, the «New World», during his term as director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York (1892-1895). In 1901 he was appointed director of the Prague Conservatoire. His vast output, though rooted in classicism, was deeply influenced by Czech folk music and that of other Slav nations.

His Requiem follows in the tradition of the English oratorio. It was written in 1890 on commission from the Birmingham Festival, where it received its first performance in 1891. The text is based on the Roman Catholic mass for the dead. The work calls for a large orchestra, a symphonic chorus, and four soloists. It is a powerful, vital composition, lyrical and dramatic at one and the same time, which combines the most poignant grief with the loftiest hope. With regard to man's destiny, it also contains the awareness of a new life.