Antonín Dvořák - Symphony No. 5 in F major | Ruth Reinhardt | WDR Symphony Orchestra

Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 5 in F major op. 76, played by the WDR Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Ruth Reinhardt. Recorded live on 22.02.2024 at the WDR Funkhaus.
Antonín Dvořák - Symphony No. 5 in F major op. 76
00:00:00 I. Allegro, ma non troppo
00:13:24 II. Andante con moto
00:20:44 III. scherzo. Allegro scherzando
00:28:03 IV. Finale. Allegro molto
WDR Symphony Orchestra
Ruth Reinhardt, conductor
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Introduction to the work:
The longing for home is reflected in hardly any other composition as passionately and vividly as in Antonín Dvořák's symphony "From the New World". Officially, the music tells of the composer's American adventure between 1892 and 1895, but it also reflects his great homesickness, which he gave in to a year before his contract as director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York ended and traveled back to his Czech homeland.
Twenty years earlier, the 33-year-old Dvořák did not really envision his later fame. But he already had a slight premonition, as he had been awarded a scholarship for the first time in 1874 - by the Austro-Hungarian state. The commission in Vienna was very enthusiastic about Dvořák's achievements. And so, in the summer of 1875, the young composer was highly motivated and composed his fifth symphony in just six weeks. He had retreated to Central Bohemia for this, to the small village of Vysoká u Příbramě. And the results were impressive. When Brahms brought Dvořák to the attention of his publisher Fritz Simrock two years later, he printed this symphony, among others. In order to give his new protégé the best chance on the market, Simrock embellished Dvořák's compositional record: he published the Fifth as No. 3 and gave it the significantly higher opus number 76 instead of the originally intended 24.
Even if the Fifth Symphony cannot quite keep up with Nos. 7 to 9, Dvořák made an almost quantum leap compared to its predecessors - both formally and in terms of the explored instrumentation. The Fifth has occasionally been described as his "pastoral". It owes this quite profanely to its origins in nature. And the beginning in the clarinets also exudes a clearly rural mood. At the premiere in March 1879, the Prague audience applauded warmly, but not necessarily frenetically. Dvořák invested a great deal of diligence and energy in the symphony "From the New World" before it was acclaimed.
(Text: Otto Hagedorn)

[@raymadden5423]

Hello from Newcastle, Ontario, Canada. Much enjoy concerts by this orchestra!

[@Nyssa337]

Yes! Thank you for programming this all too often neglected work, and thank you for making it available to online viewers. Wonderful interpretation by Maestro Reinhardt as well.

[@WDRKlassik]

Thank you very much!

[@davebarclay4429]

Shouldn't that be Maestra Reinhardt? ;-)

[@briancrowle6290]

That was superb! Such gorgeous dynamics, phrasing, and shaping of the music, this performance gets to the very heart and soul of the piece. This is my new favourite Dvorak 5. Thank you so much for posting this beautiful video. ❤

[@WDRKlassik]

Thank you very much! We're happy that you like our rendition 🥰

[@SilvioNobre]

Thank you always for these beautiful moments! ❤️💞🌹

[@haiya6035]

omg another conductor from the masterclass session, so good to see these faces years later

[@ruhstill1399]

And they still are sooo bad ! It would be quite interesting to see them in front of an orchestra which no so good is as this one 😂

[@franciscolima5793]

Maravilha 👏👏👏👏👏

[@WDRKlassik]

Obrigado 😊

[@DorothyOzmaLover]

Um yeaaah, definately a fave for it's iconic style and vibe so this performance shines!

[@WDRKlassik]

Thank you so much!

[@Dylonely42]

Delightful.

[@musicalsongs9761]

❤waiting💚

[@hansrichardnohrer2834]

Sehr gut orcester ddirigentin

[@WDRKlassik]

Danke 😊

[@TeamSintti]

Greetings from Jyväskylä, Finland - thank you WDR Klassik for this beautiful musical treat for all of us to enjoy ! 🎼🎶🎵

[@WDRKlassik]

You're very welcome😊

[@user-zm5ss5xo9y]

This is my second standing ovation and Bravo (or Brava?) for Ruth Reinhardt conducting Dvořák's Symphony No. 5. The first time was her 2021 appearance with the Basque National Orchestra (available on KZbin, with screen showing "Euskadiko Orkestra" alongside BNO). Same conductor, same symphony, different orchestras. I expected the same interpretation. To my pleasant surprise, the Basque performance was, overall, about 2 minutes shorter (faster) than its WDR counterpart's, mostly in the first movement: The Basque: about 9 minutes, 34 seconds; the WDR: about 13 minutes, 8 seconds. For the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th movements (note: the 2nd and 3rd movements continued without a break), the two orchestras' times closely match each other's. So, WDR's slower-paced 1st movement opened with a more relaxed duo-clarinet announcing the main theme, which appeared in various forms throughout, closing the first movement with it (much like how Beethoven opens and closes the first movement of his 8th Symphony); the theme even reappears to close the final 4th movement, ending the symphony. I thoroughly enjoyed Ruth Reinhardt's two interpretations of the Dvořák 5th and look forward to more of this talented conductor's work (FYI: she plays the violin, composes, and holds a master's in conducting from Julliard School). Watch this rising star!

[@WDRKlassik]

We're happy to hear that you enjoyed our interpretation and Ruth Reinhardt's conducting! 🤗

[@colleenschoeman2927]

The introduction to the work is wrong. This is not the New World Symphony which used to be numbered 5 but is now numbered 9.

[@albrechtgaub2882]

Yes. And this one was numbered 1 even though it was later than nos. 6 (formerly 1) and 7 (formerly 2). Just leave the old numbers in the dustbin.

[@tarasidis6543]

Когда уже начнётся? Пора начинать

[@davebarclay4429]

Although this is beautifully played by the wonderful WDR Symphony Orchestra I find the first movement slow and lacking in charm. Things do improve later but overall the performance doesn't really stand comparison with the true Dvorak experts like Kertesz or Mackerras.