Slavonic Dances

Dvorak (Artist), Szell (Artist), Cleveland Orchestra (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 2, 1992)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000027UV
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #209,321 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Slavonic Dance No. 1 for orchestra in C major, B. 83/1 (Op. 46/1)

2. Slavonic Dances (8) for orchestra, B. 147 (Op. 72)

3. Slavonic Dances (8) for orchestra, B. 147 (Op. 72)

4. Slavonic Dances (8) for orchestra, B. 147 (Op. 72)

5. Slavonic Dances (8) for orchestra, B. 147 (Op. 72)

6. Slavonic Dances (8) for orchestra, B. 147 (Op. 72)

7. Slavonic Dances (8) for orchestra, B. 147 (Op. 72)

8. Slavonic Dances (8) for orchestra, B. 147 (Op. 72)

9. Slavonic Dances (8) for orchestra, B. 147 (Op. 72)

10. Slavonic Dances (8) for orchestra, B. 147 (Op. 72)

11. Slavonic Dances (8) for orchestra, B. 147 (Op. 72)

12. Slavonic Dances (8) for orchestra, B. 147 (Op. 72)

13. Slavonic Dances (8) for orchestra, B. 147 (Op. 72)

14. Slavonic Dances (8) for orchestra, B. 147 (Op. 72)

15. Slavonic Dances (8) for orchestra, B. 147 (Op. 72)

16. Slavonic Dances (8) for orchestra, B. 147 (Op. 72)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

George Szell's dedication to Dvorák is well-documented on CD, most recently with the reissue of his outstanding recordings of Symphonies 7 through 9. But for many Dvorák lovers, his name will be forever associated with this sparkling set of Slavonic Dances, one of the outstanding recordings of the LP era. Along with Kubelik's DG recording, this is the only complete set of Dvorák's miniature masterpieces that deserves to be set alongside classic Czech versions by conductors such as Talich and Sejna. Not only is the playing of the Cleveland Orchestra exceptional, but Szell positively luxuriates in Dvorák's generous fund of melody. At budget price, buy one for yourself and one for a friend. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Full of character, April 1, 2000

By 

J. Buxton "cantabile" (Waltham, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Slavonic Dances (Audio CD)

I was a little skeptical about this cd when I bought it because it was at budget price, but after one listening I am sold. These performances are full of character and feeling, and the excellent recording quality itself is a step above most of the Sony "Essential Classics" series. The dancing rhythyms come through clearly and the distinctly Czech feel is abundant throughout. A truly satisfying account of these great works.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb performances of musical gems., September 18, 2000

By 

D. R. Schryer (Poquoson, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Slavonic Dances (Audio CD)

George Szell seems to have held a patent on performing Dvorak's Slavonic Dances. Each dance -- whether fast or slow, or some combination of the two -- is a brilliant little gem, with every rhythm, lilt, and nuance handled superbly. Add to that the fact that the orchestra is the Cleveland Orchestra in its prime and this CD is a treat that no music lover should resist.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding; a true classic, September 22, 2001

By 

David A. Kemp (Plano, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Slavonic Dances (Audio CD)

Here is a happy instance of the best performances coming on a generously filled CD which is also budget priced. Hallelujah. George Szell (1897-1970), one of the greatest conductors of the twentieth century, was born in Budapest, studied piano, conducting, and composing in Vienna and Berlin, and learned his craft as a conductor in the opera houses of Europe. World War II brought him to America, where he conducted at the Metropolitan Opera (1942-1946), and finally led the Cleveland Orchestra from 1946 until his death, "molding the ensemble into one of the world's finest," as the Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music notes. Szell and the Cleveland became as distinguished a collaboration as Toscanini and the NBC or Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic. Szell brought the Cleveland Orchestra to such a peak of perfection that many good judges considered the Cleveland under Szell the premier conductor/orchestra team in the world.

In the late 1950s and the 1960s, the procession of marvelous Szell recordings with the Cleveland Orchestra that came rolling out of Severance Hall became for discerning music lovers a benchmark of excellence; many of them have never been surpassed. (My own list of these nonpareils would include the complete Beethoven symphonies, the complete Beethoven piano concertos with Leon Fleisher, the Beethoven overtures, the Mahler Fourth Symphony, Strauss's Don Quixote, the Wagner orchestral excerpts from the Ring, and the Dvorak Slavonic Dances under review here, but there are plenty of other worthy candidates from the extensive Szell/Cleveland discography). Szell's hallmarks as an interpreter were vigor, tension, clarity, avoidance of extremes and excess, complete lack of sentimentality, and masterful control of an orchestra that had become awesomely virtuosic and perfectly responsive in his hands. In sum, a typical Szell/Cleveland performance was taut, disciplined, bristling with energy, insight, and conviction, and immaculately played. His performances virtually never sounded routine, usually had a fresh-minted quality, and had a way of unfolding with an uncanny sense of rightness, of inevitability, conveying the impression that this is the way this music ought to be played.

This CD contains the complete Dvorak Slavonic Dances: the eight dances of Opus 46 and the eight dances of Opus 72; the recordings were made in 1963, 1964, and 1965. All the performances are superb, as fine as any in the catalog. The sound is OK, clear and full, certainly adequate and listenable, if not up to the best standards of today. The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs, in reviewing this CD, awarded it their highest honor, a rosette, and said of it: "In Szell's exuberant, elegant, and marvelously played set of the Slavonic Dances the charisma of the playing is unforgettable and, for all the racy exuberance, one senses a predominant feeling of affection and elegance. The warm acoustics of Severance Hall ensure the consistency of the orchestral sound." As noted, the CD is very generously filled (74 minutes of music) and budget priced. Talk about a good deal! So what are you waiting for?