Symphonic poems of Dvorak

In 1896, after Dvorak's return from America, and from the composition of the New World Symphony, he was attracted to folk tales in the poems of the Czech writer Karel Erben. The result was four symphonic poems telling the stories of such Czech folk figures as "The Water Sprite," and "The Noonday Witch." Great Czech conductors such as Vaclav Talich and Raphael Kubelik have recorded some of these tone poems, and on we'll sample music from them.