Dvorak - Symphony 9 [Sawallisch-The Philadelphia Orchestra]This is the third time i've got to play this Symphony this year, i went out for a walk and played the first three movements, back home i played the last, Dvorak's genius shines through, this is actually the first time in playing this very disc, and Sawallisch sounds excellent, it was good to also get to know the Scherzo Capriccioso better also.
Wolfgang Sawallisch is now retired from conducting, he will be 88 next week, he recorded this disc in 1988, i like the booklet front cover, a line drawing of the Statue of Liberty, i like the whole concept, well laid out.
Forget about the Hovis bread advertisement [second movement], all the other movements remind me of some Western Cowboy film on the TV, brass to the fore, timpani too, you can just imagine galloping horses on the prairie, the key of the Symphony is E Minor, and there's these darker angry threads that run through this work, and i'm actually drawn to the third movement Scherzo, and here those angry outbursts come to the fore, in the first minute i enjoyed those double timpani blasts [0:23-0:26 & 1:05-1:08], creating a wonderful quirky rhythm, but soon after the movement changes tack, and a more lyrical and serenading tune comes from an array of different woodwinds [1:32-1:58], creating a nice nostalgic moment, and Dvorak brings in a nice bumbling tune, very reminiscent of his Slavonic Dances [3:05-3:33], and repeated a couple of times for effect, and towards the end he brings back that lovely nostalgic woodwind moment [5:56-6:23], a thrilling movement with lots of variety.
Here's Herbert Von Karajan conducting the third movement on YouTube.
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