Dvorak - Symphony 9 [Jarvi-Scottish National Orchestra] I so much enjoyed this Symphony today, i have over 1600 discs in my collection, and this is one of two discs that are the very best recorded discs i own [the other one is Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov, also by Neeme Jarvi on Chandos by the way], it has absolutely stunning sound, the brass especially is spectacular, Chandos can really get things right, and it's a joy just to listen to this recording to hear the sound alone.
Neeme Jarvi is Estonian, now 73 years old, he has recorded so many discs of everything for Chandos, and many discs for BIS too, he effectively put the Scottish National Orchestra on the map with his many full cycles of recordings, of Dvorak, Scriabin, Prokofiev, and Mahler to name a few, he recorded the full 9 Symphonies of Dvorak, each one released separately, with an Overture as the usual filler, and each disc comes with a booklet that is illustrated by Clare Melinsky, a black and white woodcut, with an extra different colour to add a nice splash [this one in blue], a really nice theme, this recording was made in 1986.
I was thrilled with the whole of this Symphony, movement after movement is filled with invention and drama, the second movement Adagio is full of nostalgia and beauty, but it was the first movement that made me sit up and listen, it starts off as an Adagio, but then it starts to explode [0:56 & 1:53], with thunderous timpani rolls, those horns introduce the Symphony proper [2:04], and of course it sounds like something out of a Western blockbuster, but for me it's the brass that makes this movement so special, they are so richly caught in the recording, and Dvorak uses the different types of brass to great effect, in a passage near the end, the different brass instruments bray one after another [8:09-8:57], and again nearer the end [11:25-11:54], in some nice forte passages, especially the trumpets are delicious, play loud, sit back and enjoy!.
Here's Herbert Von Karajan conducting the first movement on YouTube.
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