Customer Reviews

Dvorak: Symphony No. 9 / The Water Goblin ~ Harnoncourt

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Harnoncourt offers bright colors, sprung rhythms and an orchestra that plays with total commitment.

One can hear gorgeous woodwind and brass with Harnoncourt's care for detail that uncovers fresh sounds everywhere probably never heard before.

The performance of the "Water Goblin" is even more gripping: listen to the percussion parts, relishing the narrative aspects.

This is a must buy !!!

I gave a warm review to Abbado's recentish DG Berlin Philharmonic CD of this symphony, and it is still a great disc, but Harnoncourt surpasses him, I think. The superb sound on this CD brings out Harnoncourt's wonderful balancing of the orchestra, with brass and strings ideally placed, especially in the first movement. The Largo is beautifully played and all in all this is a fresh and imaginative performance.

In sheer bravura Abbado's Finale is perhaps the more exciting, but overall Harnoncourt just pips him at the post.

If you don't require DDD sound in the symphony then other recordings by Kubelik (DG), Davis (Philips) and Karajan (DG, 1964) might be worth checking out, as they are all cheaper and have excellent analogue (ADD) sound.

The concert during which this symphonie was recorded was one of the most impressive Harnoncourt concerts i have witnessed. From the first note played by the topform Concertgebouw orchestra the audience was completely captured by the magic of this music, by its confronting power to self, by the mirror that the artists so painfully held up to the audience. Some left weeping. Unfortunately, the disc can only capture a little bit of that atmosphere, but that which it has captured brings back the full works, and I am sure that the listener who has not attended the concert will be able to capture the very same thing.

Harnoncourt proves again that he is not only a masterfull conductor, one of the great Maestro`s of this time, but even more so that he understands what people, what you and me, are all about, and that he is able to perform music in such a way that it is meaningfull to his audience, to you and me.

The symphonie itsself ofcourse is performed so often that it has lost much of its original meaning. Mr. Harnoncourt gives us a rendition that sounds as though it has just left the composer`s pen. Thoughts and impressions from a new world.... Listening to it causes a caleidoscope of images, scenes, feelings and colours to play behind me eyes and when it is over I do not have the energy left to listen to Vodnik-the water goblin- which is just as powerfull.

This is a wonderful recording of this classic Dvorak symphony. It is really nice to hear such a vibrant, alive rendition of this old warhorse. I'm surprised others haven't commented on it. I've listened to it many times now - and played it for friends who are equally impressed. I recommend it for a DVD-audio 5.1 system without reservation.

Nikolaus Harnoncourt's new, compelling version of the Dvorak 9th Symphony is one worth having, even if it is not a definitive account. Although Harnoncourt's changes in tempi are, admittedly, quixotic; nevertheless, they usher forth a fresh vision of the "New World" symphony that left me spellbound and speechless after the last note was played. Of course the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra gives another splendid performance. What makes their playing more rewarding on this CD - as well as on the more recently released Dvorak 8th Symphony - is its warmth and liveliness. The fine performance of the lesser known symphonic poem "The Water Goblin" is an added bonus. Together they demonstrate the strong chemistry between the conductor and his orchestra. Not since Bernard Haitink's tenure as the Concertgebouw's chief conductor have I heard this great orchestra give performances as exceptional as these in Harnoncourt's Dvorak symphony recordings. Again, Teldec's sound engineers have to be commended for their recording excellence.

Nikolaus Harnoncourt has specialized in rethinking classical music, sometimes to my horror (as in his aggressive, punchy Mozart and Beethoven) but other times to my delight. His Dvorak is full of surprises: lots of tempo changes, unusual balances, sudden accents and mesmerizing hush. But innately Harnoncourt takes a warm, relaxed view of the "New World," rushing nothing, letting the lyrical side speak patiently--you will think you've never heard the Largo before, so original is Harnoncourt's way with it. The only possible drawback is Harnoncourt's lack of excitement and drive in the finale.

I had already rated his Dvorak Seventh and Eighth as among the best I've ever heard; so is this Ninth, aided by lovely sonics and the gorgeous Concertgebouw, here caught live. The audience must have held its breath every bar; I owuld have. The filler is a late tone poem, The Water Goblin, done as superbly as the symphony.

I grew up listening to the Concertgebouw on Phillips 10 inch records performing Wagner, Weber and other mittel-Europa composers. This performance is stunning and moving, even to someone who has heard this many times. For someone who has never heard the 9th, it would astound them. There is one very minor thing, not a flaw. At the start of some of the cuts one can hear the orchestra shuffling in their seats, and ocassionaly the conductor's baton smacks the podium. That just adds to the veracity that 'you are there'. The Water Goblin was unfamiliar but just as powerful.

The usual error with romantic symphonies is to play them with some preconception of softness and almost blandness. They will sound beautiful, but... In this recording Harnoncourt plays the music as music first, letting the emotion come through the music rather than the opposite. I love the freshness and directness of his handling of the brass. The Adagio can be lengthy and boring, but here one kind of falls to the ground, reminded that emotion and sentimentality are not quite the same. The voicing is distinct and separated, allowing one to enjoy the subtleties also. All in all a must!

I already have a copy of Dvorak's 9th, but when this cd was recommended my Gramophone magazine, I decided to give it a try. What is amazing here is how Harnoncourt picks very unusual tempos (the scherzo being the biggest examples) and completely gets away with it! The whole symphony seems to flow right off the pages of the score, even with its unorthodoxed tempos. For example, this is the first recording I have heard of the scherzo that I could easily tell was in triple meter. Certianly Harnoncourt has given new light to what is becoming an old symphony.

Yet, even if you don't want another recording of the 9th, the entire disk is worth it just for the charming symphonic peom, The Water Goblin, that is included. It is as catchy and narritive as Duka's The Sorcerer's Apprentice, and linear notes (with notation of the themes) are included in the booklet. This is great Dvorak worth discovering.

It takes a skilled conductor to make Dvorak nostalgic and thoughtful while still being fun, but Harnoncourt meets the challenge head on. This is a beautiful reading, one that never ceases to amaze with its insight. And what orchestra could be more suited for the music than the Concertgebouw? Harnoncourt connects wonderfully with the orchestra; rarely has a conductor fit so perfectly with the Concertgebouw. In the end, as with Harnoncourt's Schubert with the same orchestra, I get the idea that Harnoncourt deserves the most credit for the success of the music, but only an orchestra of the highest rank could capture his vision. The Concertgebouw does so effortlessly.

The "New World" Symphony is so familiar that it can easily pass by without moving us. It won't be here. Harnoncourt is able to add new meaning on virtually every page. In his hands, the music sounds unburdened and imaginative. After listening to this account, I feel moved, but it's more than the fun that's moving me. It's intensely personal, maybe even private, revealing that Dvorak is about more than humor. There's a depth that is moves me to the core. I wouldn't have thought of Dvorak as a composer to move me to tears, but Harnoncourt has changed all of that.

That's not to say that this performance is all seriousness. In fact, I don't think I've ever heard this symphony sound so gloriously free. The Concertgebouw is the lightest and fleetest of orchestras, and they can maneuver through all the tosses and turns in the symphony without a trace of struggle. Harnoncourt pulls out the most miniscule of details and takes every chance he gets to treat our ears with Bohemian fun. What I think is responsible for making this recording such a winner is the combination of fun and nostalgia. I've heard conductors who have no problem revealing one of these two aspects, but the way Harnoncourt reveals both of them is staggering, surpassing my highest expectations.

The Water Goblin is anything but an afterthought. It sounds every bit as fresh as the "New World". Honestly, why don't we hear the late Dvorak tone poems more often? They sound just as interesting as the symphonies to me--in fact, they're far more dramatic and riveting. Harnoncourt displays character throughout The Water Goblin, and it's a joy to take in such an idiomatic thriller. While Harnoncourt knows how to deliver power and passion where needed, there's an intimacy that, as in his "New World", fills one with bittersweet memories.

In closing, I don't think I could ask for anything more in Dvorak. Harnoncourt has done something wonderful, and I'm going to be regularly turning back to this disc, as it has rejuvenated my love for Dvorak.