- Written in 1891, Dvořák’s In Nature’s Realm Overture is the first in a trilogy of programmatic concert overtures called Nature, Life and Love. The other two overtures in the cycle are Carnival, Op. 92, and Othello, Op. 93.
- The trilogy is connected by the main theme of In Nature’s Realm and offers an overarching reflection on human existence.
- In a letter to a friend about these programmatic overtures, Dvořák wrote: “Here I am a poet as well as a musician.”1
- Fun fact: While writing In Nature’s Realm, Dvořák also considered the following title options: In a Secluded Place, Ouvertura lyrica, and Summer’s Night.
- Dvořák dedicated In Nature’s Realm to Cambridge University, which had just awarded the composer an honorary doctorate.2
Sources
- Klaus Döge, “Dvořák, Antonín,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed September 30, 2026, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000051222.
- “In Nature’s Realm, Op. 91, B168,” Antonín Dvořák, accessed September 30, 2026, https://www.antonin-dvorak.cz/en/work/in-natures-realm/.
Cut IDs
41955 43247 18555