Few realise that Dvorak, whose Symphony No. 9 (‘From the New World’) is one of the most popular and well-known, met his demise as a result of…. trainspotting!

Yes, it’s true! (Possibly).

When the Czech composer was working in the USA as director of the National Conservatory of Music, he gained a fascination for trainspotting. This continued when he returned to Europe and meant he could often be found out and about in all weathers.

Dvorak was one of the many composers to fall foul of the ‘Curse of the 9th Symphony‘ – Beethoven, Schubert, Bruckner, Mahler, Vaughan Williams, Malcolm Arnold, etc. – all composers who found that the grim reaper felt that 9 symphonies were sufficient!

In March 1904 he became suddenly ill and had to leave a rehearsal of Armida, an opera of his. A few weeks later this became influenza and in early May he succumbed to the illness which some attribute to spending too much time, in the rain, looking at trains!