Dvořák - Alfred

[BerlinExpat]

Prague hosted the world premiere of the original version of Antonín Dvořák's opera Alfred on Wednesday 17th September. The work was performed within the framework of the international music festival "Dvořák Prague" with the original German libretto at a concert in the Rudolfinum. The concert has also been recorded and is supposed to be released on CD towards the end of the year. The Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Heiko Mathias Förster, the main characters sung by Petra Froese, Jarmila Baxová, Ferdinand of Bottmer and Felix Hull. The score of the opera was not issued to Dvořák's lifetime, the work was only performed in 1938, in Olomouc in Czech translation.

For his first opera the 29-year-old Dvořák used the then 60 year old text from the German Romantic poet Karl Theodor Körner.

[Aramiarz]

Dear BerlínExpat

Thank You very much for the info! In the timeline, what Dvorak's work is contemporary of this oper?
   

[TerraEpon]

Alfred is B 16, so it's a pretty early work.

Symphony No. 2 is B 12. String Quartet No. 2 is B 17 (3 is 18, 4 is 19). The Seven Pieces for Orchestra is B 15, Tragic Overture is B 16a, the early Cello Concerto (in A minor) is B 10, and the Cypresses are B 11. The nest somewhat well known piece would be the Piano Quintet No. 1, B 28.

[Aramiarz]

Dear Terra
Thank you for your historic comments!

[BerlinExpat]

For those who would like more information about Dvorák's first opera Alfred, here's a link to an article in the Prague Post:
http://www.praguepost.com/night-day/41381-opera-dvorak-s-first-opera-to-be-performed-for-the-second-time-ever

[eschiss1]

I think cello concerto no.1 B.10 (what's left of it) is in A major. Yep, according to Wikipedia's Dvorak worklist (based I think in part on antonin-dvorak.cz and other sources), as sorted by Burghauser number as we've been doing, the string quartets 2-4 (1869-70 but published in the 20th century, iirc) are B.17-19 (B.18, quartet 3 in D major, is an hour long - another composer's quartet no.3, btw, Reger's (official) quartet 3 in D minor (Op.74), is similarly expansive... - hrm! ), followed by the -first- version of one of his early operas (King and Charcoal Burner, B21), followed indeed by (after some lost works, partially lost works (the cello part of a cello sonata, piano part missing), some vocal works, etc. ...) B.28/op.5 of 1872, B.34 (symphony 3 in E-flat) of 1873...

[Alan Howe]

More details about the CD release here:
http://www.naxos.com/news/default.asp?op=1127&displayMenu=Naxos_News&type=2