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Classics with NOW: Janáček, 'Lachian Dances'

Janáček's Lachian Dances is a work for large orchestra written in the late 1800s. Originally named Wallachian Dances, Janáček changed the title when the region’s name changed, as the dances are derived from folk melodies from that region.

Janáček set out in his Lachian Dances to celebrate pastoral life and culture that was beginning to decline in his lifetime. Split into six separate dances, each reflects folk music and pastoral characters such as a blacksmith and a peasant’s preparations for winter in the third and sixth dances respectively. They have remained popular due to their evocative and expressive nature.

This performance by ѿý NOW took place in Llandaff Cathedral in 2009, with conductor Grant Llewellyn.

Release date:

Duration:

22 minutes