News
Archives of Antonín Dvořák are inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register

Experts from the Memory of the World project have inscribed the Archives of Antonín Dvořák on their international register. The inscription was approved at the 18 May 2023 meeting of the UNESCO Executive Board. The Czech Republic now has ten items inscribed on the register for documentary heritage of worldwide importance, such as a collection of medieval manuscripts from the period of the Czech Reformation. The UNESCO programme Memory of the World was created in 1992 to raise awareness of documentary heritage as an important part of mankind’s cultural heritage.
The Archives of Antonín Dvořák encompass most of Dvořák’s musical manuscripts, authorised copies of his compositions, and first editions of his works as well as a collection of his correspondence, diplomas, certificates of honorary membership, and other documents. The archives are very important for what they tell us not only about Dvořák and his music, but also about musical culture and the standing of artists in the latter half of the 19th century, which was a crucial phase in the evolution of the modern world. This exceptionally valuable collection of documents relating to Dvořák is in the care of the Czech Museum of Music – Antonín Dvořák Museum, a part of the National Museum.
The 2023 Dvořák Prague Festival has announced its programme

The organisers of the Dvořák Prague International Music Festival have announced the programme for the coming 16th-annual festival, which is scheduled for 7–25 September. Besides the works of Antonín Dvořák, Johannes Brahms will be appearing at the festival more than usual because this May brings the 190th anniversary of his birth.
At the festival’s opening concert with its traditional performances of Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B Minor and the New World Symphony, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich will appear with its music director Paavo Järvi. Anastasia Kobekina will play the solo cello part.
The World-Class Orchestras programme series will also offer a concert by the Wiener Philharmoniker under the baton of Jakub Hrůša, which will begin with Brahms’s Second Piano Concerto and soloist Igor Levit, followed by Antonín Dvořák’s Eight Symphony. The Israel Philharmonic will appear twice with its Music Director Lahav Shani and violinist Gil Shaham.
For a second year, the Dvořák Collection programme series will be focusing on performances of the complete string quartets of Antonín Dvořák. Under the supervision of members of the Pavel Haas Quartet as curators, Dvořák’s compositions will be heard in interpretations by top Czech and foreign quartets, this year for example including the Belcea Quartet and the Schumann Quartet.
The Renovation of Dvořák’s Birthplace in Nelahozeves Has Begun

The renovation of Antonín Dvořák’s birthplace in the village of Nelahozeves, Central Bohemia, will take about 12 months. Work started in January of this year. After the completion, a brand new museum exhibition will open in the refurbished and newly added buildings from April 2024, bringing visitors closer to the time of Dvořák’s childhood.
According to Lobkowicz Collections, o.p.s., which has been the administrator of the property since 2019, some parts of the upcoming exhibition containing a number of interactive elements will be installed in Nelahozeves in the nearby castle this June. In the future, the grounds of Antonín Dvořák’s birthplace will also be used for holding various cultural, educational and social events.
The building of the inn where Dvořák was born, together with the neighbouring buildings of the farmstead, has been registered as a cultural monument since 1958.
Official Award Ceremony of the Antonín Dvořák Prize 2022

During its Advent concert on Monday 19 December, the Prague Philharmonic Choir received the Antonín Dvořák Prize for 2022.
Poetic Tone Pictures on the new recording by Leif Ove Andsnes

On 28 October 2022, Sony Classical released a new recording of Dvořák's masterpiece piano series The Poetic Tone Pictures, performed by the world's leading pianist Leif Ove Andsnes. This regrettably neglected work rarely appears on concert stages and on recordings, and usually only in the form of a selection. Andsnes has recorded an extensive thirteen-part, nearly hour-long cycle in its entirety. Both interpretively and technically outstanding, it has already received many rave reviews. According to the Norwegian pianist, these unknown gems present the composer, known for his symphonies and string quartets, in a different light. "I love this music and no-one seems to play it," says Andsnes. " It's a cycle of many stories but it also feels like one big story. I feel like someone opening a book and saying: Listen, I'm going to tell you something." The performer also personally presented his take on this Dvořák work with great acclaim to Prague audience during his recital at the Rudolf Firkušný Piano Festival in November 2022.