The Czech Philharmonic led by Principal Guest Conductor Rattle present the set of sixteen pieces which Dvořák composed between 1878 and 1886, taking inspiration from Brahms’s Hungarian Dances. Originally written for piano four hands, the first set of Slavonic Dances were orchestrated soon after publication at the request of Dvořák’s publisher Simrock, who also commissioned the second volume; the pieces played a significant role in cementing Dvořák’s reputation as a leading composer. Of the orchestra’s acclaimed recording of Dvořák’s Symphonies Nos. 7–9, The Times raved, “everything is as it should be when Czech musicians play Czech music.”