How Do You Listen To Dvoraks New World Symphony?
Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, nicknamed the “New World Symphony,” was written by Czech composer Antonin Dvorak in 1893, during a three-year stay in the United States. Its most famous passage is the heartbreaking Adagio second movement, a piece of music saturated with longing and homesickness. Here are some ideas to inspire your emotions and your imagination as you listen to this piece. My impressions are obviously very subjective and personal, but hopefully they will inspire you to form your own, or perhaps deepen those you already have. Put the CD into the stereo, skip to the Largo second movement, and press “Play.” Close your eyes and let the music wash over you. After a bold introductory declaration by the brass, the solo English horn introduces the plaintive, achingly beautiful melody for which this symphony is known. Imagine a man sitting at his window looking out at a strange country, longing for the green pastures, rolling hills, and quaint villages of his homeland. The loneliness
