This disc of the Slavonic Dances is perfectly serviceable, and in many
respects very good indeed, as you would expect when you consider who the
performers are. This is
their music, and they ought to own it.
The faster dances are really successful. Op. 46 No. 1 gets the set off to
a jingling, energetic start, and the first dance in the second set works
every bit as well, as does the
Furiant that ends the first set. Op.
72 No. 7 has the feel of a New Year's Day polka to it, and there is
something very characterful in the lopsided way that Op. 72 No. 3 lollops
along.
I also enjoyed the slower dances. Op. 46 No. 4 has a beautiful lilt to it,
while Op. 72 No. 2 has a silken, almost feline quality. Op. 72 No. 4 also
feels a bit like Dvořák's
Pastoral Symphony, evoking the nature of
his beloved homeland in a similar manner to the way Smetana does in
From
Bohemia's Woods and Fields. There is a winning playfulness to Op. 46
No. 5, and Op. 72 No. 6 has a dainty, almost neoclassical feel.
The playing is universally good, with rumbustious, Bohemian strings, bold
brass and shiny percussion that bring their line to life. Bělohlávek, too,
is totally at one with the music, and conducts with a persuasive lilt
throughout, whether swinging daintily or provoking fireworks. There is a
sense of playfulness to many of the central sections, especially where there
is a bit less at stake and so they can settle into them a bit more. The trio
of Op. 72 No. 3, in particular, develops a real feel of
Donner und
Blitzen.
However, if you sense a reservation in my words then you are correct, and
it is a serious one, coming in the form of the competition. Normally, I
would think it unfair to do down a recording based on its rivals, but in
this case the Czech Philharmonic is competing against itself. Sir Charles
Mackerras conducted them in a complete set of the
Slavonic Dances
in 1999 for Supraphon, and that disc is in every respect superior to
Bělohlávek's. There the faster dances really crackle, and the slower dances
have a lilt about them that is amongst the most utterly persuasive Dvořák I
think you will ever hear. Just compare the opening tracks to see what I
mean: Bělohlávek's is utterly accurate and full of vigour, but Mackerras's
explodes out of the speakers in a way that makes you want to start dancing.
Case closed.
Simon Thompson
Track ListingSlavonic Dances, Op.46, B.83
No. 1 in C (Presto) [4:26]
No. 2 in E Minor (Allegretto scherzando) [4:55]
No. 3 in A-Flat (Poco allegro) [4:40]
No. 4 in F (Tempo di minuetto) [7:16]
No. 5 in A (Allegro vivace) [3:38]
No. 6 in D (Allegretto scherzando) [6:04]
No. 7 in C Minor (Allegro assai) [3:38]
No. 8 in G Minor (Presto) [4:42]
8 Slavonic Dances, Op.72, B.147
No. 1 in B (Molto vivace) [4:14]
No. 2 in E minor (Allegretto grazioso) [5:41]
No. 3 in F (Allegro) [3:40]
No. 4 in D flat (Allegretto grazioso) [5:33]
No. 5 in B flat minor (Poco adagio) [2:47]
No. 6 in B flat (Moderato, quasi minuetto) [3:45]
No. 7 in C (Allegro vivace) [3:28]
No. 8 in A flat (Lento grazioso, ma non troppo, quasi tempo di valse)
[7:07]
