Antonín Dvořák composed his overture Carnival, Op. 92, in the summer of 1891 as part of a three-part cycle titled Nature, Life, and Love. In this musical trilogy – written shortly before he took up his position at the National Conservatory in New York – he sought to express his deep connection to nature as well as the joys and sorrows of human existence.

Carnival forms the vibrant centerpiece of the cycle and represents the exuberance of life. Dvořák himself referred to the work as the “Czech...