Vanda (overture), Op. 25, B97

The opera Vanda, which Dvorak wrote in 1875, had only a brief orchestral introduction. When preparations for a new production of the opera were under way at the National Theatre four years later, Dvorak decided to write a new overture for the occasion. The outcome was an impressive, invigorating piece of music dominated by lively rhythms. The overture develops the thematic material of the opera itself, above all, the syncopated theme which, in Act 3, is associated with the character of the witch Homena, and with the motif of Slavoj’s aria from Act 1. The work is written in rondo form, A-B-A-C-A-C-B-A.