Nationalism
The Hungarian conductor Iván Fischer is a hero to many in his native land. The partnership he forged with the Budapest Festival Orchestra has proven to be one of the greatest success stories in the past 25 years of classical music. Fischer introduced several reforms — developing intense rehearsal methods for the musicians, emphasizing chamber music and creative study for each orchestra member. With touring, festivals and recordings, he has put the group on the international map. His recordings of the works of Bartók, Kodály and Dvorák have garnered critical attention.
The first set of eight Slavonic Dances, Op. 46, were the first "exotic" compositions by Dvorák to achieve recognition outside of his Czech homeland. Dvorák, who owed much to Brahms as his champion, had used his mentor's own "Hungarian Dances" as a model. Whereas Brahms used actual Hungarian melodies, Dvorák only made use of the characteristic rhythms of Slavic folk music. They were trumpeted and predicted to make their way around the world — within a year of their composition; they did — with performances in London and Boston. Within two years, Dvorák's publisher, who had made a fortune with the first set, naturally asked for a second. Nervous and worried they wouldn't repeat the earlier success, Dvorák held off another five years before delivering the second set, Op. 72. Both sets have become as much a national monument for the Czech nation as Smetana's "Má Vlast." They are literally dance movements incorporating not only Czech but also Slovak, Polish, Serbian and Russian elements as well as the dumka — literally "a small bit of melancholy" and one of Dvorák's favorite musical...more details
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