Dvorak: 3 Great Symphonies

Antonin Dvorak (Composer), Christoph von Dohnányi (Conductor), Cleveland Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Cleveland Orchestra
• Conductor: Christoph von Dohnányi
• Composer: Antonin Dvorak
• Audio CD (June 10, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Decca
• ASIN: B0000042EI
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #51,090 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Dvor´k's last three symphonies deserve every ounce of their popularity. Although the Eighth and Ninth are virtually ubiquitous, the greatest by common consent is the Seventh, which the composer wrote in the wake of having heard Brahms's Third Symphony (which was in turn influenced by Dvorák's Fifth). The friendship between Brahms and Dvorák was one of the most interesting artistic relationships in musical history, comparable only to that between Mozart and Haydn. Brahms, for his part, was clearly thinking of Dvorák's Seventh when he wrote his own Fourth Symphony, and actually corrected the publisher's proofs of Dvorák's Ninth when his friend, who was stuck in New York, was unable to. The Cleveland Orchestra has a great tradition of performance in both Brahms and Dvorák, inculcated by the incomparable George Szell, whose recordings of these three symphonies are also available. If you're looking for digital sound, you'll find that Szell's high standards have been admirably maintained by Dohnanyi and the orchestra. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure Dvorak, December 19, 2004

By 

Ryan Richards "reb77" (Midland, MI United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dvorak: 3 Great Symphonies (Audio CD)

After having listened to these interpretations of Dvorak's most famous symphonies, I can't go back to my old ones anymore. Granted, I'm a big fan of Dohnanyi's "straightforward approach," but it really does prove to be the right way to go here. I'm particularly taken with the Ninth, which many conductors take ridiculous liberties with to try to give it their seal of individuality. Dohnanyi correctly realizes that the individuality is already inherent the music and blazes straight ahead, and the results are fantastic--much like the classic Szell recording, but with even more fire. Try to find another recording of the Ninth whose outer movements are as drivingly vehement as these--or whose Largo movement is such a smooth, lyrical whisper. In contrast, the Eighth is exuberant all the way through, and the Seventh is as moody and poetic as it needs to be--although again, Dohnanyi distinguishes himself by not allowing the symphony to slip into either melodrama or hysteria, two easy pitfalls. There's a lot of competition out there for all three of these symphonies, so on some level the choice comes down to personal preference--but I guarantee you can't go wrong with these. Buy this set if you're tired of odd tempo and dynamic variations and you just want to hear pure Dvorak, played with meticulous precision and unquenchable energy. That's what you'll get.

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A favorite set of the great Dvorak symphonies, April 7, 2001

By 

Gregory M. Zinkl (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dvorak: 3 Great Symphonies (Audio CD)

I'd wager that there are individual recordings of these works that surpass these performances. Then again, maybe not!

The one performance to beat in this set is the 7th. Dohnanyi and the incredible Clevelanders perform it to perfection, with an almost perfect interpretation.

For the ninth, there is a lot of competition, but what Dohnanyi has that the vast majority of recordings do not is a freshness to the performance. Dohnanyhi's straightforward approach works very well here.

The eighth is perhaps the lesser light of the set, but that hardly says anything, since it, too, is excellent, and ranks as one of my top three favorites (Walter is #1, Macal and Milwaukee and Dohnanyi tie for #2). If you want to check out some incredible playing and to get an adrenalin rush, check out the finale.

The playing, needless to say, is exceptional. Beautiful string sound, although not lush as, for example Boston, Philly (in there peaks under Munch/Leinsdorf or Stokowski/Ormandy, respectively), and the precision of execution, as usual, is outstanding.

The recorded sound, as for so many of the London/Decca recordings in Cleveland, is outstanding.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Bargain,.Good performances., August 13, 2000

By 

Jason Quintana (Gilbert, AZ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dvorak: 3 Great Symphonies (Audio CD)

David Hurwitz has some fairly bogus reviews here, and tends to be biased against certain performers. Still, he's done a good job here at Amazon pointing out good recordings and couplings that I might tend to flip past at a music store or... scroll past here at Amazon. This one is a real gem, and an excellent value.

The Cleveland Orchestra rarely makes a bad recording. Their sound tends to be "lean", in that individual detail is the goal. There is still a certain warmth to the playing on this recording, and a level of folkyness. Here we have Dvorak's best symphony (the 7th), his most creative symphony (the 8th) and his most exciting symphony (the 9th) all played with a consistant level of flair and wonderful interpretation. I think this might actually be my favorite reading of the 7th symphony and the filler on the second disc, the Scherzo capriccioso has always been one of my favorites. I'll be coming back to this set for sure.