American Masterpieces: The Music of Dvořák and Dawson

Joshua Weilerstein, conductor

DAWSON: Negro Folk Symphony
DVOŘÁK: Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95, From the New World

Conductor Joshua Weilerstein leads Dvořák’s enchanting Symphony No. 9, “From the New World.” The composer reflected on his time in the United States, and inspired by Black spirituals and Native American music, Dvořák created a work filled with majestic fanfares and brilliant melodies. Just four decades later in 1934, the world premiere of William Dawson’s passionate Negro Folk Symphony brought a Carnegie Hall audience to its feet in enthusiastic applause. A critic in attendance called it “the most distinctive and promising American symphonic proclamation which has so far been achieved.”