1869–1871

Dvořák’s works from the end of the 1860s and beginning of the 1870s are strongly influenced by his then fascination for German Neo-Romanticism. Dvořák applied the principles of Wagner’s opera reform and Franz Liszt’s music not only in his first opera Alfred, but also in three string quartets originating from the same period. These are highly avant-garde works which, according to certain musicologists, anticipate the musical language of Arnold Schoenberg and Igor Stravinsky. They have complex harmonies, “endless” melodies and a generally agitated expression. The works from this period seldom see the light of day and are rarely performed; his opera Alfred only came out in print in 2014.