SMETANA: Ma Vlast (complete) – Gewandhaus Orchestra/ Vaclav Neumann, conductor – Berlin Classics 03000067, 79:56 [Distr. by Allegro] ***:
This release is from 1968 and has been in and out of the catalog numerous times. It is, simply, one of the great recordings this work has ever had. Neumann was one of the best when interpreting Smetana, and though many people tout Talich (and rightly so), I don’t think he surpasses any number of other recordings, including this one.
The sound is remarkably clear and clean for the most part, though in some movements in the louder passages there is some congestion and static, and we don’t get the full sonic spectrum as well as we might wish for. Certainly there is no detriment to enjoyment for those who can get beyond some of the clutter. (The editor tells me of an SACD of this version on Denon that apparently has some scratchy sound as well, but I have not heard it. There are three other SACDs available, and only the recent LSO Live with Davis seems to have garnered much attention. Our editor raved. Neumann knows how to pace this music just perfectly, and one would be hard-pressed to find an interpretative viewpoint that fits the music so well.
The problem comes when checking the other good issues that are out there right now. As I said, some consider Talich the gold standard, but I do not, and think this one its equal. But there are others out there also equally viable, and they, end to end, shut this one out from first place contention. Malcolm Sargent recorded a brilliant version (quite up-tempo) that is quite underrated and little known, but well worth considering (look for it on an EMI Laser recording if you can find it, not for the $17 archivmusic.com wants to recreate it). Paavo Berglund created a well-received version available on an EMI Doubleforte set. And though Raphael Kubelik’s triumphal return to his homeland and the Czech Philharmonic was touted as a record of the century (Supraphon), I still prefer his gorgeous cycle on DGG with the Boston Symphony from 1971. All of these are of considerable nuance and power, easily the equivalent of this Neumann issue, and in much better sound, including the 1965 Sargent. So while the Neumann has a lot to offer, and is one of the best interpretations, I would suggest one of these other readings unless you are simply trying to fill out an already well-established collection. But those who do decide to get it will be happy with what they hear, even if the sound is not the best. [But it has such a nice fuzzy purple package now…Ed.]
— Steven Ritter
