Symfoni nr 9 ”Från nya världen”

When the composers of scores for the western films of the 1940s and ‘50s were searching for inspiration, they turned to a Czech. For his part,Dvořák was inspired by the Native Americans music, African-American spirituals and folk music he had studied during a stay in the United States between 1892 and 1895.

When listening to the first movement of Symphony No. 9, “From the New World”, it is easy imagine the camera swooping across the prairies and mountains, while the more sedate second movement could depict a night camped out beneath the stars; the cor anglais plays a sanguine theme as, beyond the horizon, the sun awaits. The third movement begins with a few orchestral flourishes reminiscent of Beethoven’s Ninth, which of course also marks the beginning of something new. For the finale, we return once again to the kind of cinematic music from which John Williams has clearly borrowed; the introduction could be from Jaws, while the majestic fanfare is reminiscent of the closing music to Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope.