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Antonín DVOŘÁK
(1841-1904)
Symphony No. 9 in E minor From the New World Op. 95 [44:14]
Leos JANÁČEK (1854-1928)
Sinfonietta, Op. 60 [23:21]
SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg/Sylvain Cambreling
rec. 7-9 September 2005, Philharmonie, Berlin, Germany (Sinfonietta),
25-28 June 2009, Festspielhaus, Baden-Baden, Germany (Symphony)
GLOR CLASSICS GC11421 [67:35]
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I’ve played this Dvořák New World three
times now and every time starts like this - “It can’t
be that good” - and ends like this - “wow,
it is”. There is serious fire in the first movement,
with all-out orchestral playing, high romantic heat and thunderous
climaxes, contrasted with a largo that is simply exquisite in
its beauty and slow, nocturnal pace. Only a couple of passages
in the finale let up on the full emotional power of the reading,
but by the end you’ve forgotten about them and can’t
help but stand in admiration. The fact that this is the SWR
Orchestra of Baden-Baden and Freiburg, under Sylvain Cambreling,
rather than, say, the New York Philharmonic, makes it not just
a superb reading but a very gratifying surprise.
The one serious blemish on the Janáček Sinfonietta
is a sense of hurry in the opening and closing fanfares. It’s
actually about the same speed Ančerl and Mackerras use
in their classic readings, but over time I’ve come to
prefer a little slower delivery. Maybe it’s me. Everything
in between goes well, and the finale is suitably physically
exciting. The fourteen trumpets sometimes do fail to live up
to their incredibly high expectations, since in this work any
sign of timidity is weakness. The Dvořák is the
star performance though, coming as it does from out of nowhere,
and being, as it is, utterly outstanding and thrilling, a high
octane account.
The sound isn’t flawless - I believe these are live recordings
but the booklet doesn’t say - but it is more than good
enough, and the presentation is better than I expected from
little-known Glor Classics. Certainly, if you want to hear an
unexpected success of a New World Symphony, order this,
although if you’re perfectly content with Kubelík,
Mackerras, Szell and a host of other past greats, this is not
especially necessary.
Brian Reinhart
Masterwork Index: Dvořák
9
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