Romance in F minor, Op. 11, B. 39

Antonin Dvorák (1841-1904) wrote this single-movement Romance in F minor for solo violin and orchestra (or piano) in 1877 at the request of Josef Markus, leader of the Provisional Theatre Orchestra in Prague to perform at the annual concert to take place at Žofín Palace, where it premiered on December 9th, 1877, Adolf Cech conducting. The work originated from the slow movement, Andante con moto quasi allegretto, of Dvorák’s String Quartet No. 5 in F minor, a work he composed in 1873, then subsequently abandoned. Only the graceful cantabile melody is shared by both the Romance and the string quartet, with the rest of the music from the quartet having no place in the newer, lyrical work. Instrumentation: 2.2.2.2: 2.0.0.0: Str (9-8-7-6-5 in set): Solo Violin in set.