The music of Antonin Dvorak reflects the cultured history of his homeland of Bohemia, and is steeped in the Czech countryside and people. He was a man of the people - his father was a butcher and kept the village pub - and he shared the tastes of the people. He had a curiosity and interest in modern technology, which manifested itself in a passion for steamships and railway engines; when in New York he visited Central Station and the harbour regularly, and had an encyclopaedic knowledge of the New York train timetable! This "ordinariness" comes through in his best music as a real cheerfulness, and his slow movements, though often sad and nostalgic, never become self pitying or indulgent. Dvorak wrote nine symphonies, but only the last five were published in his lifetime. These were long known as "No.1" to "No.5" in order of publication, not of composition, and the first four were virtually unknown, despite all four being published gradually during the 20 years after Dvorak's death. Eventually, in the 1950s, the tangle was unravelled, and the current numbering - one to nine in order of composition - came into general use. The G major symphony was written in the summer of 1889, and Dvorak himself conducted its Prague premiere in February 1890.

The first movement begins with a cello tune in G minor, which plays a key role in navigating the movement: it recurs to mark the transition from exposition into development section, and again in dramatic fortissimo to end the development and begin the recapitulation. There is a wealth of other material in this movement, mostly derived from the limpid, innocent flute theme which follows the introduction, or the slightly pompous theme on violas and cellos which follows. The invention is constant, and the woodwind writing is highly effective.

The adagio is another highly original movement, alternating poignant introspection with cheerful innocence and celebration. The contrasts are great, yet Dvorak manages the joins so naturally that they are hardly noticeable.

The third movement is a captivating waltz-like scherzo in G minor, with a folk style trio in G major, concluded by a vivacious coda.

After a summons from the trumpet, the finale is a theme and variations, on a theme presented by the cellos. The variations vary in mood - thoughtful, triumphant, skittish and downright earthy! The original theme returns towards the end, this time fading into a stillness which is rudely interrupted by the triumphant and rousing coda.