× Having achieved great renown for cultivating a distinctly Czech musical idiom, Antonín Dvořák accepted an invitation in 1891 to lead the National Conservatory in New York and guide a rising generation of American composers. Upon arrival, he found exciting potential for a truly American voice through Native and African American melodies, rhythms, and harmonies. Seeking to lead by example, Dvořák composed his famous symphony From the New World and American-inspired chamber music including the Sonatina for Violin and Piano. Disc VI pairs Dvořák with American composers who fulfilled Dvořák’s vision of a genuinely American style: Charles Ives, whose songs lifted this unfolding folk idiom to new heights, and contemporary master George Crumb, whose kaleidoscopic ear reimagines America’s most popular folk music.