Antonín Dvořák - Symphonies Nos. 8 & 9 (Václav Talich)

Information

Composer: Antonín Dvořák

• Symphony No. 8 in G major, Op. 88
• Symphony No. 9 in E minor 'From the New World', Op. 95

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

Václav Talich, conductor

Date: 1951; 1956

Label: Supraphon

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Review

These are classic recordings of the Czech postwar period, made in 1951 (the Symphony No. 8 in G major, Op. 88) and 1954 (the Symphony No. 9 in E minor, "From the New World," Op. 95), and beautifully remastered by the Czech Republic's Supraphon label with the sort of care that is expended when people feel like they're dealing with part of the national patrimony. Both probing and lively, they're as good as any of the hundreds of recordings of these two perennials ever made. The booklet paints a nice little picture of the hell Talich put his musicians through as he worked out these fresh interpretations, and something of his ability to think on his feet comes through in the finished performances. With a palette that ranges from Nutcracker-like delicacy to folk rhythms that sound as rough as they should, Talich brings constant surprises to works that most classical listeners know, and Czechs of the 1950s knew by heart. Consider the reading of the last movement of this Symphony No. 8, which may well be definitive for those who don't have to have absolute sonic perfection. Many conductors lay too much weight on the foot-tapping main theme and tend to lose momentum as the movement proceeds. Talich grasps the architecture of this movement, whose crowd-pleasing quality masks a subtle kind of development, as few other conductors have: it opens circumspectly, shocks the listener with little jolts along the way, and reaches full steam only toward the end. The "New World" Symphony is full of wonderful details, with a profoundly serene slow movement that gets at Dvorák's mystical reverence for nature. The finale likewise does not shoot its bolt with the initial statement of the big brass theme but lets texture do the work in generating a single arc of momentum that carries the listener through to the end. With engineering that has raised the sound quality of these classics to acceptable, they make an excellent choice for any basic or detailed collection of the great Romantic symphonies.

— James Manheim

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Antonín Dvořák (September 8, 1841 – May 1, 1904) was a Czech composer. He was the second Czech composer to achieve worldwide recognition, after Bedřich Smetana. Following Smetana's nationalist example, many of Dvořák's works show the influence of Czech folk music, such as his  two sets of Slavonic Dances, the Symphonic Variations, and the overwhelming majority of his songs. Dvořák wrote in a variety of forms: nine symphonies, ten operas, three concertos, several symphonic poems, serenades for string orchestra and wind ensemble, more than 40 works of chamber music, and piano music.

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Václav Talich (28 May 1883 – 16 March 1961) was a Czech conductor, violinist and pedagogue. He studied violin with Otakar Ševčík and conducting with Arthur Nikisch. From 1919 to 1941 Talich was the Czech Philharmonic's chief conductor, raising its prestige to world levels, touring widely with it, and recording Czech music for EMI. Particularly noted for his interpretations of Czech composers such as Dvořák, Smetana and Suk, Talich also did much to bring the operas of Janáček into the standard repertoire. Talich also taught a good deal, with Karel Ančerl and Charles Mackerras among his pupils.

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