The Many Pupils of Antonín Dvořák – a unique selection of famous and less famous works
20. 2. 2026 — News
The stirring sounds of the Entry of the Gladiators will be familiar to anyone who has been to a circus, but how many would be able to name the composer, let alone be aware that he had been a pupil of Dvořák? Julius Fučík was just one on the many pupils of Antonín Dvořák. Still remembered these days are Suk and Novák to whom this Supraphon 3CD compilation devotes a whole disc each, but there are also others, such as Nedbal, composer of the popular Valse triste, who are well worth investigating. This newly created anthology – a sequel to the earlier set “The Many Loves of Antonín Dvořák” – is intended as a reminder of the wealth and sheer diversity of Czech composers to emerge from Dvořák’s masterclass at the Prague Conservatoire during the 1890s and early 1900s. The English music journalist Patrick Lambert, an important expert on Czech music with deep knowledge of the Supraphon catalogue, selected the music and wrote the insightful text in the booklet. The compilation was released on 20th February on 3CD and in digital formats.
By all accounts, Dvořák’s teaching method was idiosyncratic. He was a hard task master – the more talented the pupil the stronger the demands placed upon him. However, his future son-in-law, Josef Suk, who was among the first “chosen twelve” of exceptionally talented students, recalled above all the Maestro’s kindness and sincerity: “Wisdom radiated from his every word and after school the whole class would accompany him home; it was as if apostles and apprentices were following Christ”. Vítězslav Novák, on the other hand, who joined the class later on, saw things a little differently: “Dvořák’s school was strict, but as salutary as a cold shower. He was, however, never pedantic and he praised an original idea with undisguised pleasure.”
Apart from Suk and Novák, seven further Dvořák pupils are featured in this anthology, all of whom fruitfully followed their great teacher’s advice: “Anybody who wants to compose must get accustomed to thinking and working independently... Artistic personality, that’s the main thing”. In addition to the aforementioned Julius Fučík and Oskar Nedbal, they also include Jaroslav Kocian, Adolf Piskáček, Vojtěch Kuchynka, Rudolf Karel, and Arnošt Praus.
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