Antonín DVOŘÁK (1841-1904)
Complete Works for Cello and Orchestra
Concerto No. 2 in B minor, Op. 104 (B. 191) (1895) [40:27]
Silent Woods, Op. 68/5 (B. 182) (1865, orch. 1893) [5:42]
Rondo in G minor, Op. 94 (B. 181) (1893) [7:54]
Concerto No. 1 in A major (B. 10) (1865) (orch. Jarmil Burghauser) [35:39]
Tomáš Jamník (cello)
Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra/Tomáš Netopil
rec. Domovina Studio, Prague, 28-30 June and 13 September 2010 DDD
SUPRAPHON SU4034-2 [46:14 + 43:39]
This is my first exposure to the young Czech cellist Tomáš Jamník.
He received a very positive response at least in one quarter on his debut
recording of sonatas by Martinů, Janáček and Kabeláč.
He performs the works on these Dvořák discs with much lyrical
feeling, fine intonation, and beautiful tone. I was most impressed by his
account of Silent Woods, and the Rondo is also excellent. However,
this brings into question the value of the whole enterprise. The “complete”
works for cello and orchestra barely fill two discs and what I suspect are
full-priced ones at that. Indeed, not many will have heard the so-called A
major Cello Concerto that Dvořák composed in 1865 and, even if
heard, will likely not want to hear it again.
Dvořák scored the A major work for cello with piano accompaniment
and never orchestrated it. According to the extensive booklet notes, a friend
of the composer and co-player from the Provisional Theatre Orchestra took
the autograph score abroad and it was rediscovered only in the 1920s. Dvořák
apparently did not see it again in his lifetime and had the chance to neither
revise nor destroy it. Its first known performance was in 1929 and lasted
some 50-55 minutes. The version that is performed now, when it is performed
at all, is in the orchestration from 1977 by Jarmil Burghauser, who proposed
cuts. The account here follows those cuts in some places; elsewhere the artists
come up with their own solutions. I frankly do not think any amount of cutting
would make the piece worth hearing except to show how far the composer had
developed by the time he composed his great Cello Concerto in B minor. The
earlier work tends to ramble throughout and leaves no positive impression
on this listener.
For most of us, Dvořák composed one cello concerto and that remains
not only one of his most popular works, but also one his greatest - arguably
the greatest of all cello concertos at least until the early twentieth century.
As one might anticipate from my comments above, Jamník emphasizes its
lyrical aspects. Those songful passages, such as the second theme in the first
movement, much of the second movement, and the epilogue in the finale are
all beautifully played and interpreted. Elsewhere, though I found the performance
somewhat underwhelming. Much of this has to do with the orchestra’s
role. In this concerto the orchestra is no mere accompanist, but shares an
equal partnership with the soloist. Conductor Tomáš Netopil, who
was invited to conduct the Berlin Philharmonic in place of the recently deceased
Sir Charles Mackerras, would seem to have all the right credentials for this
work. However, I find his interpretation lacking in incisiveness and power.
I have heard others that overpower and distort the music and clearly Netopil’s
is better than those. His tempos seem on target throughout and he doesn’t
bring the slow sections of the score to a halt as some do, but he could use
a healthy shot of adrenalin. The Prague Radio Symphony plays well enough,
but is not in the same league as the Czech Philharmonic. In addition, the
recorded sound, while clear enough, is somewhat lacking in presence as far
as the orchestra is concerned. I did not notice this in Silent Woods
or the Rondo where the orchestra’s role is not as dominant. My own yardstick
for the Dvořák Cello Concerto remains Pierre Fournier with the
Berlin Philharmonic under George Szell on DG. For a digital version I can
recommend the Supraphon recording by Angelica May - who studied with Pablo
Casals - and the Czech Philharmonic with Vacláv Neumann. Both of these
interpretations are dynamic and more classically oriented. They do not over-romanticize
the score, and are performed and recorded very well. I am sure other readers
will have their own favorites among the many from which to choose.
To conclude, these discs will most likely appeal to those Dvořák
completists, who want to hear everything by the composer, and to fans of Tomáš
Jamník, who is a fine cellist. For others, though, there are many choices
for this repertoire, minus the early concerto, and several that contain the
three mature works on one disc. In fact, the one by Angelica May has been
reissued on Supraphon and includes both Silent Woods and the Rondo
in G minor.
Leslie Wright
Recommended for fans of the cellist and Dvořák completists.