Having recorded the Violin Concertos by Brahms and Tchaikovsky as leader and solo violinist, Antje Weithaas now presents the third project in her "Play & Conduct" scheme: Dvorak's Violin Concerto.

Dvorak stated elsewhere that he had always remained a simple Bohemian folk musician at heart. Born in 1841, the son of a butcher, he grew up in the countryside. He always heard Bohemian folk tunes, probably even in his mother's womb. Folk music was clearly part of Dvorak's DNA, and a Slavic folklore tone permeates the two works on this CD.

"It's mainly because of all the folk dances Dvorak integrates into his works." For violinist Antje Weithaas, those folk dances are one of the main features of the "Bohemian tone" in Dvorak's style. The furiant and the dumka are two dances that reappear quite often in his oeuvre; the furiant is from Bohemia, whereas the dumka originated in Ukraine. In Antje Weithaas's view, Dvorak's music also reflects the mentality of the Bohemian people. "His music has an unbelievable warmth; there is no aggression.

The Czech language also has a gentle quality to it. Or take, for instance, the sound of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra: a unique remnant that is still preserved. It has that incredible velvety warmth and softness, pulsating at the same time with a special, captivating vibration. In Dvorak's music, we have the dance-like figures, a generous helping of poetry and melancholy, and these all work together to produce wide-ranging emotional depth.

Dvorak's only violin concerto and his string serenade are prime examples of the characteristics described by Antje Weithaas, even though the two works highlight two different aspects of his style.