Dvork: Complete Symphonies & Concertos

This set combines all nine symphonies with the piano, cello and violin concertos. The Decca recorded sound is first rate, clear, rich, full and deep. I’ve always found the Violin Concerto to be a frustrating work, but this account is gripping and intensely musical, as fine as any I’ve ever heard. Zimmerman is an outstanding soloist. The same may be said for Ohlsson in the Piano Concerto. Some cellists tend to attack the Cello Concerto with great fury and miss out on the more pastoral and Bohemian aspects, as if the performance is all about their cello playing rather than Dvorak’s musical argument, not here, happily. Weilerstein is a very fine soloist, allowing Dvorak’s genius centre-stage. What of the symphonies? I have heard all the recordings by Kertesz, Neumann, Pesek, Rowicki, Jarvi, Kubelik and selected recordings by Karajan and others. I’d say this set is a fine as any and better than most. Why? Firstly the orchestral playing is tight, and sounds natural and unforced, but yet has great power when required. Dvorak was not a German, didn’t write symphonies in the model on Beethoven, and his music is badly served when musicians attack the music with intensity and bombast. Belohlavek has just the right blend of tightness and relaxation. I prefer the style of Neumann over that of Rowicki and Kubelik, for example, as I find too much aggression at times in those readings, so too with Kertesz occasionally. Jarvi’s set is underrated in my view and is very fine. So also is that by Pesek. Belohlavek knows when to press and when to ease off. His control of tension is masterly. The orchestra has this music in their blood, and it shows in the right way. The discs play for well over 80’ often so that works are not split frustratingly over two discs. Very old CD players may not manage these timings, note. I can recommend this set unreservedly and, if you can only afford to buy one set of the Dvorak symphonies, I’d say this one is now the one to have.

First, a word of warning. 4 out of five of these discs play for over 80 minutes with the longest being nearly 84! Whilst this is fine on modern equipment there's the chance that older CD players may reject them. I have to say that I've had a fascinating couple of weeks re-acquainting myself with these wonderful works and I'm sure that this set will do what the Kertesz/LSO recordings did for them in the 60's. As well as the ever popular seventh, eighth and ninth symphonies, the earlier works are well worth hearing especially in performances as good as these. Belohlavek and the Czech Philharmonic play these works like no other musicians can. (The Czech Phil. Library still have the orchestral parts that were used for Dvorak!) Rhythms are beautifully pointed, the melodic phrasing is so affectionate and the sheer virtuosity of the players is a thing to behold. The first three symphonies are probably never going to be heard in concert that often and there is no doubt that they do sprawl a bit showing that Dvorak was finding his feet when it came to writing symphonies. They contain lovely melodies and ideas and are well worth hearing so, if you don't know these pieces, these are wonderful introductions. The 'in between' works are well served here and if the spirit of Wagner and Brahms linger then it goes to show that a Dvorak was taking inspiration from the masters. The fourth symphony has always been a favourite of mine and no performance I've heard on record has reached the heights of this one. By the time Dvorak wrote his last three symphonies he had ditched the German symphonic model and had found his own feet and voice and these works need no advocacy from me! Again, these are terrific performances and crown this outstanding cycle. As a bonus, the three concerti are added. They are all played with superb artistry by the soloists although I have to say that Alicia Weilerstein's performance is simply, IMHO, the best recording of this work EVER and is my recording of the year so far! Recommended with all enthusiasm.

Having heard the Czech Philharmonic and Jiri Belohlavek live in the Usher Hall in Edinburgh a few times I was keen to buy this box set of all of Dvorak's Symphonies and Concertos recorded by EMI in 2012/13. Interestingly one reviewer mentioned he has the Complete Symphonies of Dvorak by Neeme Jarvi and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra recorded by Chandos in the late 1980's. He said he prefers that set to the Czech Philharmonic set but in my opinion both sets have pluses and minuses. I would say that the Jarvi/RSNO set brings Dvorak's earlier Symphonies alive, which isn't easy to do because he hadn't really developed his own Slavonic style until the 5th Symphony onwards. But it is in his later Symphonies where Belohlavek and the Czech Philharmonic really shine and their playing from the 4th to the 9th are wonderful to listen to. I would also have to say that the real strength of the Czech Orchestra apart from its glorious strings has to be its beautiful woodwind section. The flute, clarinet and oboe solos glow throughout these Symphonies and the brass is very controlled and not over blowing unlike on the Jarvi recordings. As for the Concertos it is no surprise that the Cello Concerto stands out with Alisa Weilerstein's stunning and electrifying tone a real delight to listen to. In fact her performance of it rather puts my Yo-Yo Ma/New York Philharmonic recording of 1995 in the shade. So a really rewarding Dvorak box set by Belohlavek and his Czech Philharmonic with true Slavonic playing.

I have been looking for a long time to get a complete cycle of the Dvorak's symphonic output in an utterly authorized interpretation and a high-quality recorded sound. Maestro Jiri Belohlavek assumed recently this task in the company of his wonderful Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and the resulting CD-box is simply a precious account of this repertoire. Not only because Belohlavek knows like nobody else the moods of the Czech music and the interconnections between its specific themes, harmonies, sonorities, melodies, tempos and deep patterns, but also for he is a refined musician of Central-European formation which blends in a fascinating proportion the passionate feeling and the clean thought. The soloists invited to perform the concertante works belong to the most proficient musicians available on the international platform today. I listened a year ago to Garrick Ohlsson performing this very Concerto for piano and orchestra in Budapest (with BFO under Ivan Fischer) and a sense of his absolute identification with this kind of music stayed with me. I recognized on disc his turn of phrase, his inspired touch and his "self-effacing" vision on this quasi-symphonic score. Frank Peter Zimmermann displays a whole gamut of sensitivity to convey in musical terms a deeply felt poem on notes for violin and orchestra. The monumental Cello Concerto with its overwhelming melodic lines and magnificent orchestration seems perfectly suitable to Alisa Weilerstein her temperament and technical skills led to a perfect immersion into the musical flow. A few words about the orchestra. Indisputably, it is now one of the leading symphonic ensembles of the world. Its mellow sound with warm inflections and keen insights singles it out among the greatest contemporary orchestras. For this repertory I can hardly see another orchestra of the same calibre, of the same profound understanding and empathy with the Czech music as this wonderful ensemble of exquisite fellow musicians Jiri Belohlavek, its actual chief, former pupil of Sergiu Celibidache and a world-famous conductor in his own right is the inspirational personality who from the helm of the orchestra gives it in the most natural way its deserved glare. Five stars!

A veces pienso mal y llego a la conclusión de que Dvorak no es mucho más apreciado porque era una melodista simpar. Dirige Jiri Belohavek, que tiene una estupenda versión de “Las excursiones del señor Broucek” de Janacek, que también se puede encontrar en Amazon, en este caso en Amazon.de (ASIN B000YKE8KY). No lo deje escapar. Un set maravilloso.

The Vaclav Neumann performances are better, but this is pretty good.

Non sono un intenditore, anzi mi sto riavvicinando alla musica classica da poco e questi cofanetti rappresentano una grande risorsa per chi come me conosce solo le composizioni piu' famose permettendomi di scoprirene le opere che non conoscevo. Musicalmente le registrazioni mi sembrano di livello elevato, decca ha davvero un gran bel repertorio. Consigliato

とても気持ちのよい演奏。何回も聞ける演奏。 ハッタリ感ゼロ。トランペットやホルンがぶん鳴らしたりはしない。また、オーセンティック系の演奏みたいにバーンとなって、スッと引くみたいな表情づけもない。「巨匠」の皆さんがやりがちな奇妙な粘着質アゴーギグもなし。 あくまで、きちんとピッチをとって、きちんとハーモニー内のバランスをとって、聴こえさせるべき音は全体のバランスを崩さない範囲内で強調して…。などなど、指揮者のやるべき基本的な仕事を高水準で行なっている。特に管楽器群(他の指揮者だと何もかもが緩い)に実に精妙な演奏をさせているのが見事。