Dvořák: Legends for Piano 4 hands, Op. 59, B 117 (with Score)

Antonín Dvořák:
Legends for Piano 4 hands, Op. 59, B 117 (with Score)
Composed: March 1881
Piano: Christian Kohn, Silke-Thora Matthies
00:00 1. Allegretto non troppo, quasi andantino (D minor)
03:02 2. Molto moderato (G major)
07:13 3. Allegro giusto (G minor)
11:11 4. Molto maestoso (C major)
17:37 5. Allegro giusto (A-flat major)
21:33 6. Allegro con moto (C-sharp minor)
26:09 7. Allegretto grazioso (A major)
28:51 8. Un poco allegretto e grazioso, quasi andantino (F major)
33:12 9. Andante con moto (D major)
35:11 10. Andante (B-flat minor)
The composition of ten short pieces for four-hand piano dates from Dvořák’s so-called Slavic period. The first mention of his intention to write a cycle entitled “Legends” came in a letter to the composer’s publisher Simrock, dated 14 October 1880. Dvořák at the time was completing his sixth symphony in D major, and the Legends could, in fact, be regarded as a kind of more intimate postscript to its idyllic atmosphere. The work is also sometimes seen as a counterpart to the Slavonic Dances, in contrast to which the Legends are more subtle and lyrical in character, a fact reflected in the subsequent orchestral version in the use of a smaller orchestral roster. Also typical of the piece is its somewhat archaic, epic character: although the individual parts of the cycle carry no specific story, Dvořák still managed to convey the idea of a continuous narrative.
It is conceivable that Dvořák’s primary inspiration for writing the composition was Erben’s poetry. Not only does the balladic character of certain parts of the cycle support this theory, but also a fact uncovered by English musicologist Gerald Abraham: according to Abraham’s findings, Dvořák possibly applied a principle he later employed in his symphonic poems, namely, the derivation of motivic material directly from the rhythm of the verse. The main theme of the first Legend could be precisely superimposed onto the introductory lines of Erben’s poem The Daughter’s Curse from the collection Bouquet, and the beginning of the fourth Legend is rhythmically analogous to Erben’s poem describing the Hussite victory at the Battle of Domazlice (Song of the Victory at Domazlice).
antonin-dvorak.cz
(www.antonin-dvorak.cz/en/work...)
International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
(imslp.org/wiki/Legends%2C_Op....)
Legends for Orchestra, Op. 59, B 122 (with Score)
• Dvořák: Legends for Or...

[@ethanhcomposer]

I find this work extremely underrated, it's really amazing! The 6th legend is absolutely stunning and possibly one of my favorite Dvorak pieces.

[@JoshuaPluta]

This a really cool piece I hadn’t heard of it before now, thanks for posting this!

[@AnnMacfarlane]

Beautifully played and a lovely work. The only thing I found a bit disconcerting is that the score you provide to watch with the music is uncomfortable to watch as the Primo and Secondo parts are not synchronized - strange!

[@steveegallo3384]

A fine Treat for an evening in Mexico City.....Thanks!

[@choijiwonballetclassmusic]

17:37 21:33