Antonín Dvořák's New World SymphonyAntonín Dvořák's New World Symphony

"Antonín Dvořák's New World Symphony exposed the deep wounds of American racism at the dawn of the Jim Crow era while serving as a flashpoint in broader debates about the national ideals of freedom and equality. Following several strands of musical thought during the second half of the nineteenth century, this richly textured account of the symphony's 1893 premiere shows that even the classical concert hall could not remain insulated from the country's fraught racial politics. Philanthropist and entrepreneur Jeannette Thurber (1850-1946) founded the National Conservatory of Music in 1885 to provide a world-class but low-cost professional music education to students from across the United States. Though it progressed with fits and starts, the conservatory eventually earned a congressional charter in 1891, giving it a unique stature compared to national rivals. A year later, Thurber hired Antonín Dvořák, the famous Bohemian composer, to be its executive musical director-easily the highest-profile individual to hold the position"--