American Suite

The orchestral version of the American Suite was first played in concert in 1910 and not published until 1911, seven years after Dvořák's death in 1904.

The suite is written in five movements, each with a marked rhythm: As is often the case with Dvořák, the orchestral version gives the work a new breadth.

The cyclic aspects of Dvořák's composition are apparent in that the main theme of the first movement recurs during the conclusion of the work.

This mix of American influence with Slavic tradition is also perceptible in the rhythm of the alla polacca third movement, and in the last movement's themes native to the Far East, played by flute and oboe in unison, where the orchestra passes easily from the minor theme to the major one.

Far from any exoticism, the art of Dvořák's orchestral work is in the field of pure music, and it is undoubtedly for this reason that Brahms appreciated it.