The Ninth Symphony, which Antonín Dvořák himself titled From the New World, was a huge success when it premiered on 16 December 1893 at Carnegie Hall in New York: “The newspapers say that never before has a composer enjoyed such a triumph.” However, it was by no means uncontroversial – Dvořák had been invited to the USA and given the task of creating an American national music. He therefore studied the music of the indigenous population, the descendants of slaves, and various other inhabitants, and created the symphony with all these sources in mind. Though many critics did not consider that the goal of an authentic American national music had been achieved, the work itself belongs, until today, to the most popular symphonies ever written.

Much earlier, Dvořák had composed the Serenade for Wind Instruments, Violoncello and Double Bass in D minor. He was probably inspired by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Gran Partita, and the unusual instrumentation of Op. 44 – with two oboes, clarinets and bassoons, a contrabassoon, three horns, two cellos, and double basses – is a strong indication of this.

Finnish conductor Pietari Inkinen has been principal conductor of the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie since 2017. He will step down from this position in the summer of 2025 to focus more on his international commitments. He has received numerous awards, including the Franco Abbiati Prize. In October 2023, the film portrait A Baton and a Passport – Pietari Inkinen, Conductor was released.