Dvořák - Symphony No. 8 in G major, Op. 88

Antonin Dvorak is most well-known for his exquisite Symphony No.9 ("From a New World") - a masterpiece of such depth and other-worldliness that it has truly earned its place in the pantheon of the greatest works for symphony orchestra.

Yet as sublime as No.9 is - and I would count it as one of my two or three favorite works for orchestra - its towering reputation sometimes causes the rest of Dvorak's symphonies - all eight of them - to be overlooked or ignored.

While none of the other eight quite reaches the heights that No.9 achieved, they are a formidable corpus and Nos. 7 and 8 in particular are worthy of deep study. This blog explores Dvorak's Symphony No.8 in G major - quite possibly the "best of the rest."