Slavonic Dances Set II in B Major

By the time Dvořák wrote his second set of 8 Slavonic Dances (Op. 72, B. 145) in 1886, he had been internationally renowned for eight years, thanks largely to his first set. But he also had eight years more experience under his belt, and his increased mastery is audible. Like the first set, it draws on the inspiration of traditional folk tunes from Dvořák’s Czechoslovakian homeland while bringing entirely new melodies to the table instead of quoting any actual folk songs. And like the first set, it was originally written as a set of four-handed piano pieces and subsequently arranged for orchestra. The greater sophistication of Dvořák’s writing is apparent from the opening “Molto Vivace”, whose frenetic rhythms and jubilant melodies give way to more lush, rhapsodic moments while maintaining a seamless through line. The swift but completely natural-sounding rhythmic shifts of the “Poco Adagio” offer further evidence of Dvořák’s creative growth, and the closing “Grazioso e Lento, Ma non Troppo, Quasi Tempo Di Valse” is both physically and emotionally moving. About Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances Dvořák’s first set of 8 Slavonic Dances, composed in 1878, gave him his first real taste of international renown. The second set, written eight years later, showed his increased sophistication as a composer. Both sets assimilate the melodies and rhythms of the folk music of Dvořák’s Czechoslovakian homeland in lively, visceral dance pieces, without ever actually quoting any traditional folk songs. Dvořák’s original four-handed piano duo versions and his subsequent orchestral versions obviously exist at opposite ends of the sonic spectrum, but both capture a true Czech feel as well as the spirit of the dance.