Allegretto grazioso

from Symphony No.8 in G major, Op.88

Dvorák’s Eighth Symphony is a celebration of the Bohemian countryside, where it was conceived in the late summer of 1889. Although, unlike the two movements that precede it, the Allegretto grazioso contains no echoes of bird song or of the local band, it is certainly no stranger to peasant life. The gliding waltz-like melody on violins at the beginning might be a little sophisticated for the village dance but the other main theme, introduced by a flute and two oboes in the middle of the piece, is certainly rustic in character. Towards the end, after a recall of the opening waltz episode, the rustic theme reappears, on oboes and bassoons this time, but at a quicker tempo and in a different rhythm.