Customer Reviews

Dvorak: Symphonies Nos. 7,8, & 9 New World

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have to admit that I think Dvorak's Seventh is not only his greatest symphony but one of the greatest by any composer. I have many versions (Kubelik, Rowicki, Giulini, etc.) and have heard it in concert many times (Davis, Haitink, Fischer etc.) but this interpretation is for me the standard. It has the unique combination of urgency, spontineity and a nationalistic spirit not unlike Davis' Sibelius/BSO cycle of the same era. Dvorak, unlike Brahms, seems to allow, even invite, a wide range of interpretation, and virtually all the CD performances offer illumination of the many aspects of this work, but Davis, with great playing and sound, is at the top. The two other symphonies, which have their moments, and the Symphonic Variations 'encore' make this one of the great CD bargains.

If you are looking for a great 7th then this is the best I have heard, good pace, great rhythm and flow and very beautiful, it has a fresh and direct feel to it. The 8th is average and the 9th is very disappointing, so do not buy this if you are looking for a good all-round set or first Dvorak set. Dohnanyi's Cleveland performances are all magnificent with excellent sound, warmer recordings than Davis - particularly the 9th.

Davis is a matter-of-fact interpreter of these wonderful scores.

The seventh is the best of the lot, but, there are a lot of good sevenths out there; Dohnanyi is not to be missed with the unpareiled Cleveland in terrific sound. His eigth is very exciting, if a little emotionally more remote; however, compared to Davis, it's terrific. Neither can compare to the genius of Walter's recording with Columbia Sym on Sony, though.

The ninth here is absolutely nothing special, at all. Again, Dohnanyi gives you a better deal, but so do so many others: Stokowski (RCA), Slatkin (Telarc), Kertesz (Vienna, London), Neumann (various), etc. etc.

You do get wonderful playing from the Concertgebouw, and although the engineering is fine, I could never warm up to it.

For twice your money, you can probably buy Kertesz's complete set. I wish I had done that!

Las tres ultimas sinfonias de Dvorak son un festin genial desbordante de fuerza, energia y sonidos increibles, Colin Davis sabe de energia pero pierde un poco de originalidad,de la Orquesta del Royal Concertgebouw no hay mucho que decir es portentosa y suena impecable, la septima es brillante y suena mejor aun, la octava que es una riquisima expresion de sonidos a plenitud esta un poco suave y la novena que es una de las grandes obras de la musica suena genial. Por cierto lo mejor del CD ademas de la septima son las variaciones sinfonicas que suenan impactantes, hay que decirlo la Orquesta sinfonica de Londres es impresionante en estructura y sonido, y lo hace notar.
Para la novena mi recomendacion es Ormandy con esta misma orquesta, para la octava Rowicki (tambien con LSO), la septima es casi una de las mejores.
Para los amantes de la musica un CD que se añade a la coleccion por su fuerza y brillantes, para los fanaticos lo escucharan disfrutaran de mucho de sus pasajes y seguiran la busqueda de la interpretacion perfecta.

There are clearly better choices available when it comes to inexpensive 2CD sets of Dvorak's last three symphonies than this title by Colin Davis. In fact, there is even a better one in the very same Philips Duo series -- the one by Witold Rowicki and the London Symphony Orchestra (see my review). Other better buys are the Giulini on EMI Double Forte (not the horridly slow Sony title that was mentioned below), Von Dohnanyi on Double Decca, and Kubelik on DG (see my review of the box set of the Nine Symphonies). With that being said, this set is really not so terrible. I think we all feel a little let down by Davis because so many of his other Philips Duo offerings are among the best of any given work available -- the Complete Sibelius Symphonies, Haydn "London" Symphonies and Beethoven Piano Concertos to name a few. Oh well, you can't hit a home run at every at bat.

If the 'official review' is right, then save your $, because Davis' 7th isn't exciting. He doesn't give powerful performances, which makes me autmatically suspicious of his reputation as a Berlioz conductor. The best modern interpretation I've heard is not Dohnanyi's, but Giulini's (on Sony).