Antonín DVORÁK (1841-1904)
Symphonic Variations, Op. 78 [22:47]
Symphony No. 8 in G major, Op. 88 [37:32]
London Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Charles Mackerras
rec. live, 24 April, 1992, Royal Festival Hall, London, UK
LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA LPO 0055 [60:19] 
This is, believe it or not, the third live recording of Sir Charles Mackerras
conducting Dvorák’s Eighth Symphony. The present one is in fact the earliest
in the “series,” dating from 1992 at the Royal Festival Hall; it wasn’t until
the last five or so years of his life that Mackerras produced live Eighths
with the Prague Symphony, on Supraphon, and with the Philharmonia on Signum.
They’re all very good and though none are my favorite - that’s Otmar Suitner
with the Staatskapelle Berlin; the first movement’s coda has an irrepressible
extra thrill of energy - Mackerras’s accounts are excellent and this new one
is as fine as the other two.
They are by and large the same performances. Mackerras’s conducting is generally
unerring. The first movement flows with grace, wit and satisfying richness
in all three recordings, and the finales are almost completely identical,
all taking each variation at a consistent tempo and building suspensefully
to the great final ruckus. The LPO scherzo is just a touch more relaxed in
tempo, which I like, and the adagio is a rather gratifying minute slower than
in the other two readings, giving the music a slightly greater bloom. On the
other hand, the Prague Symphony woodwinds help make that account unmissable,
and Supraphon’s sound quality there is quite a bit more satisfying than that
with the Philharmonia or the admittedly fairly old LPO recording.
The main differences: programming; the Supraphon disc comes with the Ninth
Symphony, and the Signum disc comes with the Seventh. This one presents more
of a rarity: the Symphonic Variations, a twenty-two minute work that’s
quite substantial. For those unfamiliar, it’s the product of a dare of sorts;
a friend of Dvorák’s heard a song he had written, thought the theme odd and
undevelopable, and challenged him to compose variations on it. The result
is a minor stroke of genius, a variation sequence in a broad, folksy arc from
the admittedly highly peculiar main tune through a gradually downward course
into a central series which function as a slow movement; then we have a highly
accomplished fugue and, to escape the formality thereof, a rousing final polka.
It’s all brilliantly orchestrated, and a lot of fun, and this is as good a
performance as it’s possible to hear. Kubelik, Alsop and other conductors
all lead faster accounts than this - Kubelik a good two minutes faster - but
it’s hard to top Charles Mackerras and the LPO for sheer atmosphere, grand
scope and unwavering pace.
The second main difference between this and the other live Mackerras/Dvorák
Eighths: price. All three accounts are priced within a pound or two of each
other on most retailer sites, but the London Philharmonic label is generally
slightly cheaper than Signum or Supraphon. Still, if you want to hear one
or the other, comparison-shopping makes the price factor negligible. They’ve
all got the slightly less vivid sound quality which sometimes hampers live
broadcasts, but the Supraphon is slightly more colorful. The difference really
boils down to which orchestra and/or coupled work you want to hear. I’m happy
to have all three but would choose the Prague Symphony recording if I had
to discard two; the Ninth just so happens to be one of my absolute top choices
in that work. Incidentally, if all that duplication isn’t enough, the LPO
concerts which produced this CD were immediately followed up by a trip to
the studio to record the exact same program for EMI. I haven’t got that recording
to compare, but it is very deeply out of print.
The live recordings of Charles Mackerras which have poured out of the vaults
in recent years are a welcome trend which I hope won’t be stopping soon. They
have all been a joy, continuing to reveal Mackerras’s generosity of spirit
and obvious sympathy for every work he interprets. The Philharmonia Schubert
Ninth is magnificent - and quite exciting; the Czech Dvorák recordings consistently
outstanding. Orchestras and radio stations around the world ought to be combing
the archives and bringing out more of Mackerras in concert. I’ll be eager
to listen.
Brian Reinhart
There are now three live recordings of Mackerras leading this symphony. Choose
yours by the coupling - or Supraphon’s winning sound.