The spring of 1891 was a sunny time in the life of Czech composer Antonín Dvořák. After years of personal and professional struggle, his compositions were finally bringing him international recognition. At age 49, having finally achieved a state of relative comfort, Dvořák took the opportunity to reflect on the hardships and joys of living. The result of the reflection was the composition of three concert overtures—Nature, Life, and Love—each of which examines some aspect of human existence. Nature is a commentary on solitude; Life is a celebration of the joy of living; and Love is focused on jealousy. Dvořák originally conceived of the three pieces as a single, three-movement work, and this is how they were premiered in April of 1892. Following two performances of the triptych, however, Dvořák reconsidered the idea of grouping them together and instead chose to publish each as a single, self-contained work—renaming them In Nature’s Realm, Carnival, and Othello, respectively. Of the three, the celebratory Carnival Overture remains the most popular by far and has been a staple of the concert hall for over 130 years.
Dvořák provided the following description of the work:
A lonely wanderer reaches a city at nightfall while a street carnival is in full swing. Instruments clang on all sides, mingling with the gay laughter of the revelers. The violins set up a wild cry as the wanderer is whirled into the Bohemian revel. Then the hubbub subsides as the spectator follows a pair of straying lovers, and a pastoral theme brings a recollection of the tranquil scenes from Nature’s realm. The peaceful mood is shattered by a return of the merrymakers, and the opening section is resumed and concluded.
It was during the composition of Carnival and its two companion overtures that Dvořák would receive the invitation to move to New York and become director of the newly created National Conservatory of Music in New York, an offer that would change his life forever. For a brief period in the spring of 1891, though, with an established career and healthy family, Dvořák was thinking about joy—and generations of audiences have been happy to join the party.
Program notes by © Betsy Hudson Traba 2024