Duo Ardašev: Slavonic Dances

Antonín Dvořák – Slavonic Dances for four hands,Op. 46, 72  

The evening concert at the famous Villa Tugendhat will feature a complete performance of Antonín Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances in the composer’s version, performed by experienced performers specialising in four-hand playing.

In 1878 the Berlin music publisher Simrock published Dvořák’s Moravian Duets on Brahms’ recommendation, which immediately became very successful. Therefore, the publisher invited Dvořák to compose the then popular four-handed pieces, plus dances that would be a kind of counterpart to the well-known and popular Hungarian Dances by Johannes Brahms. The composer set to work and in three weeks the first series was ready, which he also instrumented alongside the piano version. Dvořák created a highly stylized whole in the spirit of folk music using his own themes. The first series was published by Simrock in 1878, again to great acclaim. The publisher was therefore trying to persuade Dvořák for the next few years to compose a second series, which finally happened in 1886.

Jiří Zahrádka