Lennart Axelsson, 'Largo' (Antonín Dvorák)

Lennart Axelsson (1941) is a Swedish trumpet player who has spent a good part of his career in Germany. Born and raised in Sweden, he began his career in a Swedish armed forces band. Disillusioned with military life, he quit to become a full-time musician, playing with various jazz bands in Sweden. In the early 1970s, he moved to Zürich, Switzerland to take a job in the big band of Swiss radio station Schweizer Radio DRS. In 1974, he joined the James Last Orchestra. He was one of the featured trumpet soloists on Last's 1975 album 'In The Mood For Trumpets', along with Rick Kiefer and Ack van Rooyen; this was notable as Last's record company Polydor usually did not credit the individual personnel on Last's studio recordings. In 1979, Axelsson left the Last band and joined the NDR (Norddeutscher Rundfunk, or North German Radio) big band, where he eventually became the featured trumpet soloist. He retired from the NDR band in 2005.

He plays the 2nd movement of the 'New World Symphony' ('Largo').

Antonín Dvorák (1841-1904) was one of the first Czech composers to achieve worldwide recognition. He frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia.

The Symphony N° 9 in Em, 'From the New World', Op. 95, B. 178, popularly known as the 'New World Symphony', was composed by Antonín Dvořák in 1893 while he was the director of the National Conservatory of Music of America from 1892 to 1895. It premiered in New York City on December 16, 1893. It has been described as one of the most popular of all symphonies. In older literature and recordings, this symphony was – as for its first publication – numbered as Symphony N° 5. The symphony was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic, and premiered on December 16th, 1893, at Carnegie Hall, conducted by Anton Seidl. At the premiere in Carnegie Hall, the end of every movement was met with thunderous clapping and Dvořák felt obliged to stand up and bow. This was one of the greatest public triumphs of Dvořák's career. When the symphony was published, several European orchestras soon performed it. The symphony became one of the most popular of all time.

Astronaut Neil Armstrong took a tape recording of the 'New World Symphony' along during the Apollo 11 mission, the first Moon landing, in 1969. The symphony was completed in the building that now houses the Bily Clocks Museum.

With views of Lady Liberty, at Ellis Island, NYC.

Recorded in the album 'The Golden Trumpet' (1994).

Check Louis Lasarte's version of 'Largo':

https://youtu.be/G3qZ5KagGAw

Check Ray Anthony's version of 'Largo':

https://youtu.be/mrJc5uvlXeY

Check Herbert von Karajan & The Vienna Phil Orchestra amazing performance of the 'New World Symphony':

https://youtu.be/SRFkcov-3Sc

Видео Lennart Axelsson, 'Largo' (Antonín Dvorák) канала Alex Suzano