Symphony no. 2 in B flat major, B.12, op. 4

The Symphony No. 2 in B♭ major, Op. 4, B. 12 was composed by Antonín Dvořák between August and October 1865. Dvořák sent the score to be bound, but could not pay the binder, who kept the score. A friend of his, with whom he was sharing lodgings, Moric Anger, lent Dvořák the money to pay off the binder and retrieve his score. Later, when Anger asked for repayment of the debt, Dvořák was again unable to pay, so Anger took the score as security and only returned it when Dvořák retracted a previous threat to destroy it, something Anger had always advised against. In 1887 Dvořák revised the score, thinning out the rather dense orchestration.
It had its world premiere, and its sole performance during the composer's lifetime in March 1888, under Adolf Čech (who also premiered the 5th and 6th symphonies). It was generally well received.