Customer Rating: 
Summary: Solti, thou art a master!
Comment: Of all the recordings of Dvorak's 9th, (From the New World) this has to be the definitive version, which I reach for before any other. He shows a deep respect for the tempos which few do with this symphony. I have heard renditions which play the allegros too slow and the largo of the second movement too fast, ending up with a dull, muddy andante moderato through the entire symphony.
Solti would have none of it, and this simply has me in awe, and I would heartily recommend it for all who want to listen to this symphony. The only rendition I have found comparable is in an old LP, (and I wish somebody would release it in CD) of one of the first recordings of Leonard Bernstein, where he does a brilliant analysis of the symphony on one record, then does the symphony itself on another, and it is astonishing!
Solti, I salute you for this exciting recording of Dvorak!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Dvorak In The New World
Comment: Antonin Dvorak was born in what is now the Czech Republic. In the 1890's he visited America and developed diverse thematic material for a new symphony, which he would call "From the New World", his 9th. This recording is possibly the greatest interpretation commercially available, and certainly one of the more brand name recordings. I have heard rave reviews about the Karajan version, Bernstein version and even Eugene Ormandy version. But George Solti, no stranger to large-scale orchestral music (having conducted Wagner's Ring on studio recording) is very expert in conducting this Romantic, almost modern work that uses American themes. The opening adagio-allegro is powerful and dark, while the Largo is spiritual in its slower pace. This is where the American themes tie in. The Largo is better known as "Going Home" a Spiritual sung by African slaves in the South. On orchestra, this theme sounds far more poignant and bittersweet. The Scherzo movement is a tad reminiscent of the scherzo from Beethoven's 9th (Dvorak was of course an admirer of Beethoven and since this was his 9th, perhaps he intended to echo it a bit)Musically, it is of course appropriate to the structure of his symphony. It even paints the picture of wild horses running across the plains. The Fourth movement and finale, marked "allegro con fuoco" -Italian for "allegro with fire" is indeed fiery and fatal sounding. It has strong accents and fortissimos and conjures the image of an Indian War Dance. This music is indeed very American, though at this time it lacked jazz to make it complete. It would not be until such later American composers as Aaron Copland and Charles Ives that wrote American symphonic music.
Customer Rating:
Summary: No Homesick Symphony, This
Comment: Any great piece of music lends itself to different, sometimes radically different, interpretations. Dvorak's "New World" is a case in point, but especially so since music critics and others in the know have differing perspectives on the work. I've heard it called by some "the homesick symphony"; this, of course, implies that despite the use of native American musical material, the symphony doesn't really depart from the approach Dvorak took in his other eight symphonies. Basically, this is Czech music "on holiday." A conductor who feels this way about the work might, then, emphasize the nostalgic mood of the symphony, a strain that's evident in Dvorak's late compositions, such as the Cello Concerto. Most Czech conductors I've heard seem to approach the piece from this angle.
For Solti, though, the "New World" is about the New World as imagined by an Old World composer. I don't say "as seen by an Old World composer" because Dvorak seems to want to convey the sense of awe inspired by being in a country the vast spaces and majestic vistas of which he was to see only parts. But I think the striking cover illustration is to the point: this is a symphony of the imagination as much as of the eyes and ears. That sweeping first movement clearly captures the imagined grandeur of the New World--both natural and man-made--and Solti is the perfect tour guide, choosing tempi that are uniformly fast though not breakneck and of course powering the movements by dint of that great Chicago brass section. Yes, in spots the effect is "hair-raising," but so, too, must have been the experience of rail travel from teaming New York City west to Iowa over the Appalachians and the Great Plains.
The magnificent Scherzo, Dvorak's tribute (I think) to Beethoven's Ninth, has never sounded more vibrant--here, it is Czech furiant meets American barn dance. Yet the slow movement is not lacking in poignancy. On the contrary, this is one of the more moving interpretations I've heard. Solti shows that nostalgia and dynamic energy can coexist in a single work.
Alas, as in Dvorak's Eighth Symphony, the last movement is the least inspired, but Solti does as much as anybody can with it. And the Decca engineers turn in one of their best jobs out of Chicago. The sound is big and punchy, of course, but not without a sense of the hall, which is sorely lacking in some Chicago recordings.
I've loved this peformance for a long time and hope others will treat themselves to it, even if they already have two or three recordings of Dvorak's most famous symphony.
Customer Rating:
Summary: the BEST interpretation of Dvorak's "New World"
Comment: Basically any of the CD's I buy now, I buy with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. I have even replaced some of my older less precise and intense recordings with those of the CSO, since they are my favorite orchestra.Such was the case with this recording. I bought thinking that with Solti and the CSO, nothing could go wrong and almost nothing did. The first movement is appropriately austere. The third movement, though I tend to dislike scherzi especially before a finale (as they seem to be a cheap easy way to get to a finale), is also powerful like the first movement. The finale in my opinion, however, is the real winner. It would be worth getting this disc just for the finale. It is positively savage at the beginning. It also seems as if the brass were unleashed (like the Shostakovich 7 recording with Bernstein)and thus give unrelenting energy that leads to the inevitable conclusion. If you are using this to say that it is Dvorak brutalized, if you are not a fan of heavy brass that bring weight and energy to a work, then this disc is not for you. I personally, however, do not like wimpy recordings and this one is a far cry from it. The only disappointment was the start and finish to the second movement. To me, the chords sounded mushy and were far from being full chords, unusual for the Chicago brass. But that should not be a deterance from any of you who are thinking of buying this disc. The chords aren't bad, just not full enough. The coda of the finale makes up for it. It gives me goosebumps all the time and is seriously hair-raising.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Dvorak brutalized
Comment: This is, above all, Dvorak brutalized. The famed Chicago brass section really blares out here while the strings slash at every bar just as a woodcutter would with an axe when splitting firewood. Am I the only one that longs for a certain amount of subtlty in this not so subtle music? The high impact sound recorded in the early digital era is impressive but the massed strings sound a bit glaring in the upper register. Anyone looking for an accont of this symphony in a similrly exciting vain is advised to go for the Bernstein/NYP (Sony), which I think is far more successful than this one and indeed one of the best on the market.
|
