Customer Reviews

Dvorak - Symphony No.9 / Carnival Overture

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

 

 

I have to say that I do love the Carnival Overture and that it is a great way to begin this CD. The colors are splashy and bold and burst from an infectious rythmic structure that typifies excitement. The Carnival Overture makes a great introduction for the New World Symphony by presenting you with something light and joyful before being plunged into 40 minutes of serious business. I do agree with the previous reviewer in that this recording of Dvorak's 9th Symphony lacks some of the emotional punch that other recordings have. However, Previn's languid direction makes for very atmospheric listening. It is a very warm and relaxing version of the 9th - almost as if Dvorak's rugged turmoil is being passed through the softer prism of Saint-Saens.

The highlight of this disc is the Carnival Overture, one of Dvorak's most melodic and happy overtures. There are a number of recordings of this overture on record, but Andre Previn's account is one of the most exciting and satisfying versions I've heard to date. The playing by the orchestra is very clean and crisp (and caught wonderfully by Telarc).

The reason that I give this disc a 4 star rating instead of 5 is the performance of Dvorak's 9th Symphony. As one of the most recognizable and popular symphonies in the orchestral repetoire, the competition is fierce for making a record that really stands out above the crowd. In my opinion, this performance fails to do so. Although, not a horrible performance by any means, Previn leads a performance that just isn't up to par with my favorites (which include Bernstein's recording from the 60's, Karajan's recording from the 70s, Dohnanyi's recording from the 80's, and Kertesz's recording from the 60's).

There are two main problems with this recording. One, the tempos in the first, third, and fourth movement seem a little sluggish. While a slower tempo can be effective in some situations, this symphony doesn't fare well from sluggish tempos. As you listen you feel that the symphony is just plodding along. The second thing that I don't like is the lack of accents in the strings. My favorite recordings of the 9th symphony all use the string sections to great effect with strong emphasis on the accents Dvorak wrote. Previn's performance sounds like he has told the string players to disregard any accents, which makes the performance sound less invigorating and too polished.

Having stated my qualms with this recording, I would like to note that the recording is still a good one. As I said before, by no means is it a bad recording of this incredible work. It's just not at the top of my list. It's been in Telarc's catalogue for almost 15 years which stands as a testament not only to it being a quality recording but also a testament to the popularity of the piece. Also, you won't be displeased with the Carnival Overture. I don't regret buying this CD just because the overture is so good.

I'm puzzled by the negative reviews here. I've always been a fan of Previn, ever since I bought the still definitive Previn-Ashkenazy Rachmaninoff piano concertos many years ago, and his Sibelius violin concerto with Perlman is one of the best choices available in that competitive field. Even though this is such a well-known and oft-recorded symphony, and I have heard many recordings (besides Previn, I have copies of Von Dohnanyi and Szell) and performances of it, Previn's stands out for the dynamic, propulsive energy of the opening movement and the countervailing lyricism of the largo. The first movement conveys all the excitement and the European's consciousness of the vitality and natural grandeur of the Americas; it takes you up by the scruff of the neck and never lets go. As for the largo, it's appropriately lush, lyrical, gorgeous and melancholy, and the wind and horn sections of the LAPO certainly earned their keep on this occasion. Taken as a whole, you have here a deeply satisfying performance. So, there are many choices out there that are equally satisfying, but I feel that this 1990 effort from Previn is up there with the best of them.

Previn is still a marketable commodity; he is a "Name". And so he continues to churn out recordings as marketable commodities for those who trust the "Name" to do whatever that name denotes to them.
But people who wear celebrity names change, like you and I they get older, although instances are known where the market place has not noticed. This seems an apt observation for the present review. For Previn has long ago stopped being the dynamic young conductor who set London and Hollwood on fire and championed Rachmaninov's symphonies. He has grown very tired, and anyone listening attentively to this performance will note that his interest in the music is at a fairly low ebb. He goes through the motions adequately and has a splendid orchestra at the tip of his baton. But if you are looking for a commensurate realisation of the symphony as a work of art, this is not an album where you'll find it. The tempi are sedate, so relaxed you could sleep to it, except that every now and then there is a noisy climax. The articulation is finicky, the shaping of melodies unimaginative, the slow movement makes one literally see the page turner at work. The only movement rising to some semblance of energy is the Scherzo (and the Carneval Overture too, although you will hardly get excited over it).
With so much good work on record, this recording will not serve. It might suit the muzak industry because individuation is non-existent. But the lover lover would do well to steer in another direction - indeed almost any other direction.
The excellent sound and orchestral playing are poor compensation for these disappointments.

In the context of all the great and popular symphonies in the repertoire, Dvorak's famed New World Symphony (No. 9) holds a unique place. Combining the ethnic folk music elements that he inherited from his native Bohemia with the ethnic sounds that he encountered during his visit to America in 1892 and 1893, Dvorak created a tremendous work that, however directly or indirectly, led to America gaining its own individualistic musical voice when the 20th century came, with freedom from the European models that most of America's earlier classical music had taken after. A robust, forward-looking first movement and a tranquil slow movement (whose English horn melody gave rise to the spiritual "Going Home") combined with a vigorous Scherzo, and a triumphant finale to produce one of the greatest of all symphonies, almost certainly one of only a mere handful of European composers' symphonies that American orchestras own.

This is a work extremely familiar to the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, for it was one of the first works the orchestra ever performed when it was formed in 1919, and it had already recorded it on at least two occasions (with Erich Leinsdorf in 1960; and Zubin Mehta in 1975) before this 1990 recording, with Andre Previn on the podium. And while there have been literally hundreds of recordings of this work, from heavy-hitting conductors like Kubelik, Karajan, Solti, Reiner, Szell, Ormandy, and Bernstein, this version with Previn and the L.A. Philharmonic must count as one of the best of recent decades, flowing smoothly and without any abrupt shifts up or down in tempo and volume (save for the mandatory big orchestral whack at the end of the third movement). Combined with a charged performance of the Carnival Overture, one of three concert overtures that form a trilogy the composer called Nature, Life, and Love (in the case of the Carnival Overture, "Life"), this is an impressive recording, capping off a shockingly short stay for Previn as the L.A. Philharmonic's music director (lasting only from 1985 to 1990), but one filled with continued high quality and world-class playing from the orchestra, and Previn's steady conducting hand.

I hate to give this album four stars, but neither would I feel right giving it five. Previn is a fantastic conductor who makes it near the top of my list, but here he is a bit disappointing. This is not to say that this album does not have any good qualities - far from it. It simply lacks the strong sense of humor and fun that deserve to be heard in Dvorak's music. The Largo is certainly quite good - in fact, it's excellent. But in the Scherzo, for example, there is not the essential feel of frolic that fills you with an irresistible sense of excitement. Instead we get a bit of stiffness from Previn that fails to take advantage of the potential humor. But if you prefer your Dvorak done with a more laid-back, relaxing atmosphere, this is the CD you'll want to get. If you were expecting a bit more enthusiasm, I would recommend Kertesz's performance with the LSO. Dvorak: The Symphonies [Box Set]. And if you want one of Previn's more satisfying recordings, I would strongly recommend his Tchaikovsky's Fifth with the Royal PO. Tchaikovsky : Symphony No. 5 ; Rimsky-Korsakov : March from Tsar Saltan Suite. In closing, this recording of Dvorak's Ninth is certainly well worth listening to, thanks to the beautiful, lush strings, but there are much better recordings out there

Several recordings pair the "New World" symphony with the "Carnival Overture," but I've yet to figure out why. Just as the emotional beauty of the "New World" comes to completion, leaving me with the serenity that I sought, the crash of the "Carnival" ruins the mood.

OK, I don't like the "Carnival." But even if you do, you gotta admit that this is a strange pairing. Three stars for a good performance....but i gave my copy away.

UPDATE 12-5-2008:

A commenter has brought it to my attention that the CD has changed. I reviewed it early in 1999 and my review has been appended to a 2002 reissue which has the track order -- my major complaint -- reversed.

I would give it 4 stars instead of 3 now, but amazon's editing process (maybe because the review is so old?) will not let me change the number of stars, merely the text.

So just let me say that allowing the New World symphony to close this disc is much MUCH better. Some of the older used copies might have the old track order, but with modern technology, track order is less important than it was decade ago anyhow. Another reviewer mentioned that this is a more subdued, dreamy performance of the symphony and I agree, so this is a matter of taste, but it appealed to me. For all these reasons - it would get 4 stars from me now. Good music at a bargain!