Although the manuscript of Dvorák's first symphony has no title, he is said to have referred to the work as "The Bells of Zlonice," in recollection of the two boyhood years he spent in that charming little town, north of Prague, where he studied with the musicians Joseph Toman and Antonín Liehmann. He had frequently played on the local church organ. The symphony does not include bell sounds or evocations, however. It is Dvorák's earliest surviving orchestral work, and whatever its structural weaknesses, it is full of colorful and memorable ideas. Dvorák's choice of the key of C minor—uncommon in his music—might have been inspired by his admiration of Beethoven, whose fifth symphony follows the exact same tonal plan, beginning in C minor and concluding in C major.

Each of the movements begins with a brief introduction. The first of these is a striking fanfare-like motive in the woodwinds, which reappears in the development section and again in the work's finale. A drum figure found early in the movement also returns in the finale, but the effect is more subtle than unifying. The remainder of the first movement contains an abundance of invention and rhythmic vitality, with some attractive modulations towards flat keys along the way (although these perhaps reflected his struggles with key relationships in sonata form). The coda prefigures the composer's later work in its powerful sense of drive and climax.

After a spacious opening, the Adagio proceeds with an abundance of lavish, flowing melodies that modulate freely over a rich polyphonic texture. Of particular note is Dvorák's use of the oboe, frequently used as a solo instrument here, as well as in the first and last movements. The Scherzo unfolds with breakneck momentum despite the frequency of two-bar phrases. The Finale is less successful and becomes rather diffuse in places. Like the symphony as a whole, it tends to be rather long-winded, but nonetheless reveals Dvorák's fertile imagination and offers promise for the future.

© All Music Guide