72 Archive

DVORAK: Slavonic Dances (comp.) – Czech Phil./ Jiri Belohlavek – Decca

by Audiophile Audition | Jan 18, 2017 | Classical CD Reviews

Do we need another of these? Maybe not, but we definitely need THIS one! DVORAK: Slavonic Dances (complete) – Czech Phil./ Jiri Belohlavek – Decca 478 9458, 76:08 [Distr. by Universal] *****: From the opening bars of the first Opus 46 dance, I was afraid I was going to be unimpressed. I didn’t like the tempo, especially after becoming accustomed to the barn-burning exercises of Levi and Kubelik. But the underlying pulsation, so intense and provocative, and the absolutely shimmering extremes of the strings convinced me otherwise. And so it would become the norm for the rest of this disc. It is, quite simply, a miracle of subtlety and grace, with some of the most pungent colors ever available on a recording. Even in the Opus 72, a set written in response to the first, Dvorak is quite a different composer. Gone is the freshness and vitality that so characterize the first effort, with its uncomplicated directness and melodic charm. What we get instead is a much cleverer and thoughtful artist, one who is taking far more pains with the orchestration and details present in more minute cells of phrasing and even contemplation. As a result, this second set lacks […]