Dvorak - Piano Quintet 2 [The Gaudier Ensemble]

This is one of the very best discs that i own, i've probably played it about 25 times, but it's only featured in my Blog once before [21st May 2012], both works are truly gorgeous, and even though i'm writing about the Piano Quintet 2 here, the String Quintet on this disc ran it a very close second, the third movement Poco Andante is a real gem, there's real soothing spirituality there, the Piano Quintet has some of Dvorak's very best tunes, you would think that he would use them in a big important work, a Symphony or Concerto, but Dvorak sometimes reserves his best tunes for his intimate chamber music, i went out for a walk around my neighbourhood listening to this today, a very sweet experience.

The Gaudier Ensemble comes from a group of soloists to record and play chamber music for strings / wind, with piano, they have built up a small discography on the Hyperion label, they recorded this work in 1995, the front cover is a painting by Hans Thoma called 'The Rhine Near Sackingen'.

I so much loved the first three movements, and i suppose the opening movement was the best of all, it has some truly delicious tunes, it's start is a revelation, a gentle rippling piano accompaniment [Susan Tomes], with the cello [Christoph Marks] announcing one of Dvorak's most sublime and underrated tunes [0:00-0:30], but all this sharply comes to an end when the whole Quintet explode into action in an Allegro [0:30+], on one hand it's a shame that Dvorak didn't develop this theme further, but on the other the Allegro is an exciting moment, and certainly the first movement goes all over the place, fast and daring music interspersed with themes from the sublime opening theme, and this theme makes short [1:19-1:53], and that's Dvorak for you, mixing the zest with the smooth, and at times literally mixing the fast and slow themes [3:57-4:38] in a heady concoction, the Pianist Susan Tomes must be given a special mention, she is so sublime, her piano work is scintillating at times [4:38-5:21], she somehow just gets that 'tone' just right, there's a gorgeous reprise of the opening theme [6:53-7:14], now played by the whole Quintet in a glorious serenade, followed by some irresistible stuff by the five [7:27-7:37], Dvorak really packs it with so many good things, it's ten minutes of the highest quality music possible, and as a finale the Quintet throw the themes into one final fling [9:25+], and if that's not enough, there follows the inspired Dumka second movement!.

Here's the Quintet being played on YouTube.

Dvorak - Symphony 9 'From The New World' [Jansons-Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra]

Another lovely clear recording, this is my equal favourite version of Dvorak's Ninth, along with Jarvi on Chandos, in fact Jansons made another disc on EMI of the same work, this time with the Oslo Philharmonic, which is also in my Blog [1st November 2012], they're both worth getting to know, this disc doesn't have a great deal of music on it, just over forty minutes, but it is a SACD disc, and it's superbly presented.

Mariss Jansons is Latvian, he's now 72, and he made this recording in 2003, the front booklet cover is absolutely brilliant, now i like colours, and so of course this is right up my street, showing what seem to be fishing flies, but they can't be, it shows very colourful insects and birds, with yellow feathers, whatever it is they look great, and the lettering in white, with orange and maroon bands is great also, it's a tremendously great visual product

It was the middle movements that were the best, i would like to talk about something other than the famous second movement Largo, but it's cast its magical spell over me, it was a terrific musical statement, full of the most sublime music, and who cannot be enchanted by that cor anglais!, of course it's a Largo, meaning Broadly, like a slow meandering river, after the horns begin the piece, it doesn't take long for Dvorak to introduce the cor anglais and his genius of a tune [0:41-2:10], it's very much a plaintive refrain, a sad weeping, the strings take up the same tune, and really caress it in a sublime way [2:40-3:36], but in a lot of ways it's like the slow movement of a Cor Anglais Concerto, and the main character / melody reappears [3:35+], there's a middle section, and Dvorak changes tack, and this is mainly reserved for the flutes [4:36-5:58], another sad song, but a bit faster, i like the way some of the woodwind join in to make a gentle chorus, and like in the first section the strings take over this melody, giving it a different variation [5:58-7:57], with the same flutes / woodwind in the background, and even a variation on the lower strings, and then it bursts into a sort of birdsong on the woodwinds [7:57-8:22], sort of reminiscent of a Dvorak's Slavonic Dance, of course the movement wouldn't be complete without a return to the opening cor anglais theme [8:50+], and the lower strings create a hesitant version of this theme [9:18-10:07], a real piece of nostalgic beauty, i like Jansons interpretation, in lovely sound, and the audience are so quiet!.

Here's Jansons conducting the Symphony on YouTube, the work starts at 3:20, and the Largo starts at 14:10.

Dvorak - Symphonic Variations [Jarvi-Scottish National Orchestra]

As you can see from the back insert, i've added a sticker with the individual variations within the track, as Chandos have only allotted this as 'track 5', i like to know where i'm at, and which variations is tugging at my heart and soul, these are not variations in the style of say Elgar / Enigma Variations, rather these are very short little vignettes of colour, in a work which lasts 21 minutes, there's 27 variations, considering the Theme and the Finale, it's roughly 37 seconds per variation!, you get the picture1, it chops and changes all over the place, but i like it this way, each variation is a lovely little gem in a kaleidoscope of others.

Neeme Jarvi is Estonian, he's now 74, he seems to have recorded a cycle of every Symphony for Chandos / BIS / DG, and his Dvorak / Chandos cycle is no exception, plus a great double disc of his Tone Poems also, the individual discs have a lovely theme on the front cover, wood cuts of different rustic scenes [by Clare Melinsky], all in a different monocolour, i love the way, it's boxed small on the booklet front, love the colour theme too.

However much i love Dvorak's 3rd Symphony [it's actually my second favourite after the Ninth], it was the Symphonic Variations that i was enamoured to, an ingenious set of variations, that instead of stop / start, they flow into one another as if they're one track, and of all of these variations, it was a bunch in the middle that really got me going, variations 14-18, here's a little synopsis,
Variation 14 [8:09-9:02] - Almost sounding if it's going to burst into his Ninth Symphony, a lovely serenade, great flute work at the beginning, and then in the second half a bassoon joins in. 
Variation 15 [9:03-9:39] - A very brassy variation, the woodwind have their little say, but it's the brass that have the final say.
Variation 16 [9:39-10:20] - And it bleeds straight into the next variation, where the brass build up into a frantic finale, the woodwinds come in again towards the end.
Variation 17 [10:21-11:05] - The flute seems to feature heavily in this section of variations, areal little pied piper tune.
Variation 18 [11:05-12:02] - Then the key changes, the whole of the work is in C Major, but changes in this variation to D Major, a pithy string tune in the high violins, but the flute again intrudes in the middle, low horns behind the strings give it a certain glow, a lovely little section.

Here's Neeme Jarvi on YouTube with the Symphonic Variations.

Dvorak - String Serenade [Alphen-Rotterdam Chamber Orchestra]

Now this is a real event in my Blog, where has Dvorak's String serenade been all my life?, this is the third time i've played this disc, but what was i listening to the other two times?, this is the greatest musical discovery this year so far, i went out for a walk throughout my neighbourhood late at night, with the strains of Dvorak's beautiful melody in my ears, discs like this make me happy.

Conrad Van Alphen is South African, and he's new to me, i don't have a lot of Telarc discs, and i don't believe i have another performance of Dvorak's String Serenade, i bought this disc eight years ago, and it's been a real slow burner, i love the programme of this disc, all the works complement each other, the front booklet and back inlay are gorgeous, a picture of a Scandinavian fjord [by Brian Lawrence], look at them luscious blues!, each Composer is boxed in vertical lines on the front, and horizontal on the back, i love the layout of this thing, a well presented visual adds to the music on the inside.

So it was the opening movement Moderato which was such a revelation, it's stunningly beautiful, lasting just under five minutes, and yet it feels more substantial, with Dvorak there's no intro here, it's straight into the music, the opening chords are heavenly, and are quickly restated with extra passion, i love the way this opening melody comes back again and again, it's so memorable and sweet, there's a central trio section, where the music gets more lively [1:36-2:55], and the return of the opening theme afterwards is a moment of magic [2:55+], there's also this short passage where the music 'dies' down into the minor [0:54 & 3:47], a wonderful moment of pathos, a stroke of genius by Dvorak, at the end there's this little coda [4:08-4:51], which brings this little movement to a close, now this is what makes all the music i listen to worthwhile!.

Here's the first movement Moderato on YouTube, played by the Kyiv Soloists.

Dvorak - Symphonic Poems [Jarvi-Scottish National Orchestra] 

I listened to these two discs over two days, disc one yesterday, and disc two today, it's amazing how ahead of his time Dvorak was, and it's a wonder why more Composers don't write 'stories without words', some of these Poems are quite long [nearly half an hour], and it's a little hard to fit the story to what's happening in the music, maybe some cue points would help, these Symphonic Poems are ingenious, throughout the music we find certain instruments assigned to certain characters, the bass clarinet to the Noon Witch for example, or certain musical motifs to certain actions, the more you listen to the music, the more you can follow the storyline, but even without knowing the stories at all, it's still great music that makes sense, it's like film music separated from the film, it can still stand up to musical satisfaction without the visual prop, and Dvorak writing music that doesn't need a four movement model like the Symphony does, casts his musical ideas all in one piece of music, these 'stories' are great.

Neeme Jarvi is Estonian, he's now 75 and lives in America, he made these recordings separately for individual discs coupled with a Symphony apiece, but they make a great two disc boxed set here, so these recordings were made between 1986-1987, the front cover artwork is by Clare Melinsky, again each of the four separate illustrations came with the individual discs, but they make a nice quartet of colourful illustrations here, nicely boxed on a grey background, the lettering is well done, i like the symmetry of the whole thing.

Here's Tomas Netopil conducting The Golden Spinning Wheel on YouTube.

Dvorak - String Quartet 12 'American' [Takacs String Quartet] 

One of my favourite String Quartets, and this is a nice Dvorak collection of works, giving us the String Quartet 14 as well, and of course the Takacs are a fine group, and this Quartet is almost the Chamber Music twin of Dvorak's Ninth Symphony, the aching melodies are similar, and some of the 'American film music' ideas also abound, Dvorak seemed to have got better and better the longer he lived, and his greatest works came towards the end of his life, his United States residency proved particularly fruitful, and he integrated indigenous musical ideas into his compositions.

The Takacs String Quartet are from Hungary, formed in the mid seventies, they are still going strong today, nearly 40 years old, though two of the original members are no longer with the group, they recorded this disc in 1989, the front cover picture is a fantastic one [by David Gamble], showing the Quartet in a Town Hall, lovely ornate marble pillars and railings, all couched in chocolate and cream, nicely posed and lit, and shot from a creative low angle, and given nice browns for the background colour scheme, i like the visuals a lot on this issue.

The first two movements were very rewarding, full of invention and longing, and it was the gorgeous slow second movement that i was transfixed by, it's almost a hymn in its spirituality, 

Here's the second movement Lento played by the Fry Street Quartet on YouTube.

Dvorak - Symphony 9 [Jansons-Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra] 

For some, this Symphony can seem overplayed and overexposed, but not for me, every time i listen to it, the beautiful feelings come flooding back, each and every movement is delight, how can anyone get 'used' to this music?, this is the very first time that i've played this disc, i have quite a number of Dvorak Ninths, and this is another good one to add to the stack, Jansons paces things really well, there's tension and drama there, the sound is a little shrill, but i soon got used to it, another satisfying days music listen.

Mariss Jansons is Latvian, he's now 69 years old, he recorded this disc in 1988, the front cover photo [by Paul Huf] is an excellent studio portrait of Jansons, nice and sharp and clear, nice dark background which makes the lettering stand out, but too many different types of font in the lettering creates a garbled look, though good use of colours.

What a lovely experience, the first movement was dynamic, and of course the second movement is beautiful and touching, but it's the third movement Scherzo i liked the best, boisterous and loud, and yet still has touches of introspective poetry,.

Here's Herbert Von Karajan conducting the third movement Scherzo on YouTube.

Dvorak - Symphonic Poems [Kosler-Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra] 

Dvorak's Symphonic Poems have a tendency to be long, The Golden Spinning Wheel isn't far off half an hour long, but unlike say Tone Poems, which capture a mood and a visual feeling for something, Dvorak's works here are like plays without words, just the music to set the scene, there's 'dialogue' in the pages of the score as it were, sometimes i wish there were cue points in recordings to explain exactly what's going on and when, and with this double disc set, all the best works are conveniently brought together in one package, i played this early in my Blog [28th May 2010].

Zdenek Kosler was a Czech conductor, he died in 1995, he made these recordings in 1981 & 1982, now the front cover is a thing of rare beauty [by Vladimir Baca], a picture of a tree, the sun peeking through the branches, a nice study of the trunk, and it has that backlit quality to it, the lettering and logo add to the finished product, a superb visual statement.

On this listen i was wowed at how fantastic The Golden Spinning Wheel sounded,.

Here's Carlos Kalmar conducting The Golden Spinning Wheel on YouTube.

Dvorak - Violin Concerto [Chung/Muti-The Philadelphia Orchestra] 

This is a disc that i've had since 1992, at first it was a slow grower on me, but once i 'got it', i realised that Dvorak's Violin Concerto is actually right up there with other great Violin Concertos, i don't play this work all that often, but when i do i always come away with the feeling that 'wow!, that was much better than i thought it was going to be', Kyung-Wha Chung and Riccardo Muti sound like a couple to fire sparks off each other, Muti has worked with Mutter and Kremer, but i see him more as an Opera Conductor, a disc a bit on the short measure side [47 Minutes].

Kyung-Wha Chung is South Korean, she's now 64, and she recorded this disc in 1988, the cover shows Chung and Muti together [photo by Alistair Morrison], and not one of those 'fused' photographs from two separate pics, you can see Chung's happy nature against Muti's stern face haha.

Full of good Czech tunes, it's the slow movement that i found so heavenly, though not a sweet and happy movement, the Concerto is in A Minor, and this movement is full of pathos, it leads straight in from the first movement, and i love the way that the violin comes in to start the movement, nice and gently, with a real sadness, Chung plays with restraint in volume, but is bursting with that pent up nostalgia, this violin tune isn't a mere introduction, but continues for quite some time, and the oboe and flute have prominent roles to play here, Chung plays some very nice trill work throughout, 37-4:07], i like the way the trumpet fanfares through a forte into a softer passage with the oboe [6:03-6:36], there's some heady and passionate violin playing from Chung [6:58-7:08], there's a clearing of the darker clouds, and the sun comes shining through in a burst of sweetness from the orchestra [7:39-8:13], Chung plays a coda filled with trills, while the horn plays in the background [9:52-10:19], another superb slow movement from Dvorak.

Here's Kyung-Wha Chung playing the slow movement on YouTube, this time with Riccardo Chailly conducting.

Dvorak - Cello Concerto [Maisky/Mehta-Berliner Philharmoniker] 

A regular disc in my Blog [19th April 2011 & 7th May 2010], and this disc is becoming quite a treasure to me, the Strauss work is not one i immediately warm to, so while it's attached to a work that i love, it means that it gets played in my life, and i'm starting to find my way around there, the Dvorak is chock a block full of good tunes, and Maisky is very individual, playing this work hundreds of times live, and the Berliner Philharmoniker is lush, there's a great ambiance in the recording too, a work which i love to hear again and again.

Mischa Maisky is Latvian, born in 1948, he's 64 now, he recorded this live performance in 2002, the front [and back] cover [by Susesch Bayat] is excellent, showing Maisky and Mehta outside the Berlin Philharmonie, i like the way it's a cream background, with the dark clothing, it creates a perfect place for the lettering, the Composers are in bold white, the works in bold grey, and the performers in smaller lettering, i like the way it's all laid out.

The Adagio second movement is akin to Dvorak's slow movement in his Ninth Symphony, sounds like they're cut from the same cloth, the woodwinds [especially the clarinet] start with a wistful yet soothing refrain [0:00-0:32], what a lovely introduction, and after the initial notes of the cello, these same forces come back even more wistful [0:55+], and the cello joins in with a dialogue, there's a perfect feel to the whole thing, there's an enormous great thunder of a forte [2:38-2:51], nicely shocks you out of your seat, and Dvorak's writing when things cool down is superb [2:52+], a tremendous flow to the cello line, and busy muted violins, there's lovely use of oboe throughout, certainly Dvorak knows how to add just the right texture of a woodwind to create melancholy, about halfway through the horns play a low serenade [5:36-6:31], something that Bruckner would have been proud of, it lasts nearly a minute, and leads into a sort of cello cadenza, but there's the odd flute bird twitter, then it gets really nostalgic, the woodwinds are almost in tears of sadness [7:57-8:21], it's a beautiful moment, toward the end there's a sort of coda, reminds me of the way Bruckner closes down the Adagio of the Eighth, lots of delicacy and regret, one of Dvorak's greatest creations.

Here's Jian Wang playing the slow second movement on YouTube, Gustavo Dudamel conducting.

Dvorak - Piano Quintet 2 [The Gaudier Ensemble] 

Dvorak's Chamber works are a delight, and he saves some of his very best tunes for these small ensembles, whereas other Composers might use them for a more grander scale of things, the opening of this work is one such moment, this is my favourite Dvorak disc [though not my favourite Dvorak work], i've played it so many times in the 15 years i've had it.

The Gaudier Ensemble were formed in 1989, and on this recording it includes the Pianist Susan Tomes, formerly of the Domus Piano Quartet, also recording for Hyperion, i really didn't know they recorded so many discs, theirs is a superb Chamber Music Ensemble, the front cover is a painting by Hans Thoma entitled The Rhine Near Sackingen, the Rhine here borders Germany and Switzerland, a picture that invokes the easy going pastoral nature of the works on the disc.

Here's Natalie Erlich and the Borromeo String Quartet playing the first movement Allegro on YouTube.