Pigeons and Prairies

Available for 29 days

Kate Molleson explores Dvořák’s vital connection to nature. Antonin Dvořák was one of the most heartfelt tunesmiths in classical music - a man who not only brought the sound of Czech folklore to the world, but also had an indelible impact on the musical nationhood of America. As a character he was sometimes shy, sometimes melancholy, routinely homesick and deeply passionate. Through the week Kate Molleson explores five windows onto Dvořák’s soul, aspects of life that were really central to his convictions and his music. Today, Dvořák the nature-lover. The outside world wasn’t just something he took a bit of quaint inspiration from, but something he couldn’t live without. He was scared of crowds, thieves and fire, so cities tested his nerves. His summer house, Vysoka, was the necessary antidote to the demands of a busy metropolitan life, where he walked, wrote, and most importantly, looked after his beloved pet pigeons. Forget-me-not Polka Ivo Kahánek, piano Silent Woods (From the Bohemian Forest) Tanja Tetzlaff, cello Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin Paavo Järvi, conductor Serenade for Strings (1st and 2nd movements) London Chamber Orchestra Christopher Warren-Green, conductor Rusalka, Act I: Song to the moon Renee Fleming, soprano Czech Philharmonic Orchestra Charles Mackerras, conductor The Wild Dove Berlin Philharmonic Simon Rattle, conductor String Quartet No 12 in F major 'American', Op 96 (3rd movement) Chilingirian Quartet Produced by Amelia Parker for BBC Audio Wales and West