- Svoboda completed his first symphony in 1956 when the composer was still in his teens. The symphony received its first performance in Prague in 1957. Being so young at the time, Svoboda caused quite a sensation when he walked on stage after the performance.
- Symphony No. 1 was inspired by Svoboda’s connection to nature in a peaceful country village. His appreciation for his predecessors, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, and Dvořák, is clearly present in the music.
- The piece wasn’t published until 1984, which allowed the seasoned composer to make minor revisions.1
Sources
- Essay in accompanying booklet, Orchestral Works by Tomas Svoboda performed by the Oregon Symphony conducted by James DePreist, Albany 604, 2000, compact disc.
Cut IDs
45967