Dvořák: Serenade for Strings

Available for over a year

Sarah Devonald for Building a Library surveys recordings of Dvořák's Serenade for Strings in E major. In his early thirties and with a newborn son, Antonín Dvořák was struggling to make ends meet, a professional viola player and virtually unknown as a composer, without even a piano to his name. But in 1874 he won a state competition which not only came with a very welcome cash prize but also the recognition and enthusiastic endorsement of one of the most influential names in music, Johannes Brahms. The sunny and genial five-movement Serenade for Strings is one of a clutch of new works from the following year and marks the beginning of Dvořák's international reputation. Recommended Recording: Prague Philharmonia; Jakub Hruša (conductor) Supraphon SU39322 Other Recommended Recordings: Below are other recordings that Sarah also liked, although we can’t guarantee the availability of these discs. Orpheus Chamber Orchestra DG 4153642 Czech Chamber Orchestra; Josef Vlach (conductor) Supraphon SU42032 English Chamber Orchestra; Charles Mackerras (conductor) Classics For Pleasure CDCFP4597