Dvorak - Symphony No.9, Cello Concerto
£15.15
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Label: EMI
Cat No: 9141022
Format: CD
Number of Discs: 2
Genre: Orchestral
Release Date: 29th October 2012
Contents
Artists
Mario Brunello (cello)Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Conductor
Antonio PappanoWorks
Cello Concerto in B minor, op.104Symphony no.9 in E minor, op.95 B178 'From the New World'
Artists
Mario Brunello (cello)Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Conductor
Antonio PappanoAbout
A recording of two of Dvorak’s most loved works together on disc - the Symphony No.9 in E minor “From the New World” and his Cello Concerto in B minor. These two works are not often paired together on recordings. They were recorded live during the 11/12 Santa Cecilia season.
Dvorak wrote the 9th symphony following a trip to America. It is imbued with the rhythms of native American immigrant folk music, cast in the language of the 19th century romantic musical language.
This will also be a rare recording of the first edition of the Dvorak Cello Concerto, completed in 1895 - before he accepted a few of the numerous changes suggested by his cellist friend Hanuš Wihan (to whom Dvorak dedicated the work). It is far less frequently heard and, according to Dmitry Markevitch (the respected Russian concert cellist, researcher, teacher and musicologist) “much more musical”.
Dvorak wrote the concerto towards the end of his highly productive stay in America - he was in New York for his third term as the Director of the National Conservatory. He was inspired after hearing the second cello concerto by Victor Herbert - a fellow teacher at the Conservatory - in 1894. Until then Dvorák had always refused, stating that the cello was a fine orchestral instrument but totally insufficient for a solo concerto.
The concerto smacks of the anticipatory pleasures that Dvorák felt at the prospect of returning home. It opens with a large-scale and dramatically powerful Allegro, before striking a more dreamy note in the Andante and culminating in a fast and furious finale with folk-like elements from Bohemia - a compositorial greeting from the New World to Dvorák's distant homeland.
It is performed by the renowned Italian cellist Mario Brunello, who won the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1986 (the first Italian to ever do so) and has been catching the attention of musical authorities, including Maestro Pappano, ever since. He tours in Europe, America & Japan, appearing with leading orchestras and conductors (eg Semyon Bychkov, Myung-Whun Chung, Daniele Gatti and Valeri Gergiev).
Dvorak wrote the 9th symphony following a trip to America. It is imbued with the rhythms of native American immigrant folk music, cast in the language of the 19th century romantic musical language.
This will also be a rare recording of the first edition of the Dvorak Cello Concerto, completed in 1895 - before he accepted a few of the numerous changes suggested by his cellist friend Hanuš Wihan (to whom Dvorak dedicated the work). It is far less frequently heard and, according to Dmitry Markevitch (the respected Russian concert cellist, researcher, teacher and musicologist) “much more musical”.
Dvorak wrote the concerto towards the end of his highly productive stay in America - he was in New York for his third term as the Director of the National Conservatory. He was inspired after hearing the second cello concerto by Victor Herbert - a fellow teacher at the Conservatory - in 1894. Until then Dvorák had always refused, stating that the cello was a fine orchestral instrument but totally insufficient for a solo concerto.
The concerto smacks of the anticipatory pleasures that Dvorák felt at the prospect of returning home. It opens with a large-scale and dramatically powerful Allegro, before striking a more dreamy note in the Andante and culminating in a fast and furious finale with folk-like elements from Bohemia - a compositorial greeting from the New World to Dvorák's distant homeland.
It is performed by the renowned Italian cellist Mario Brunello, who won the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1986 (the first Italian to ever do so) and has been catching the attention of musical authorities, including Maestro Pappano, ever since. He tours in Europe, America & Japan, appearing with leading orchestras and conductors (eg Semyon Bychkov, Myung-Whun Chung, Daniele Gatti and Valeri Gergiev).
Sound/Video
Paused
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1Symphony no.9: I.Adagio - Allegro Molto
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2Symphony no.9: II.Largo
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3Symphony no.9: III.Scherzo (Molto vivaco)
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4Symphony no.9: IV.Allegro con fuoco
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5Cello Concerto in B minor: I.Allegro
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6Cello Concerto in B minor: II.Adagio ma non troppo
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7Cello Concerto in B minor: III.Finale (Allegro moderato)
Europadisc Review
Dvorak's 'New World' Symphony and Cello Concerto are not only his two
most popular works, but also two of the most recorded pieces in the
repertoire. Any new recording is up against stiff competition, both
recent and vintage, and therefore needs to offer something very special
to make its mark. So, do these new accounts deliver?
The answer is a resounding 'Yes'. Antonio Pappano has recently scored a remarkable triumph at Covent Garden in Wagner's Ring and here, with his 'other' orchestra - the Rome-based Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia - he likewise brings an extraordinary sense of dramatic involvement to the works. The live recordings, made two months apart, have about them a palpable sense of occasion, with Pappano's enthusiasm and energy caught by the microphones to a tolerable degree (much better, this, than the sterility of the recording studio!).
From the anticipation of the very first bars, one senses that this will be a powerful reading of the 'New World'. Woodwind dissonances are deftly placed and the calls-to-arms from horns and strings bitingly alert. The outer movements are intensely gripping - driven, yet with room to open out for the more poetic moments - and the first movement's exposition repeat is quite rightly observed. A close but warm recording adds to the overall sense of involvement. The famous Largo is beautifully paced and poised, the cor anglais melody hauntingly plaintive, and the mounting intensity of the intervening episodes perfectly judged. In the Scherzo, the outer sections have an incisive energy, whilst the Trio dances in a delightfully carefree manner. The symphony's blazing end caps what is certainly one of the finest New Worlds of recent years, alive to every nuance of the music’s American songfulness.
Overflowing onto a second disc is a boldly expansive account of the Cello Concerto. Soloist Mario Brunello plays an early 17th-century instrument by Giovanni Paolo Maggini, and he draws from it a deliciously grainy tone which is well-balanced against the orchestra: not too spotlit, but distinctive and forward enough to stand out when the two are entwined. Brunello's account of the concerto is marked by an expressive toughness that finds sufficient breathing-room for the poignant yet unsentimental sadness of longing and mourning. This combination of discipline and flexibility ensures that the generally broad speeds never flag, and one has a real sense of being deep inside the 'tone' of this magical work. Its moments of heart-stopping beauty are caressed without ever being over-egged. Put simply, this is sentiment without sentimentality - musicianship at its best! Throughout, Brunello's noble yet deeply-felt and refreshingly characterful playing is thrillingly supported by Pappano's Rome forces. As in the symphony, the concerto builds to an overwhelming conclusion. Above all, it is the purely musical strengths of these familiar works - often overlooked in performances that are either routine or gimmicky - that are brought to the fore in these recordings.
The Santa Cecilia orchestra has worked with some illustrious musicians over the years, but with sweet-toned strings, characterful woodwind and imposing brass it has rarely sounded better. They are clearly now a force to be reckoned with, even in the most tried and tested repertoire. In an unusually competitive field, these compelling new Dvorak recordings can comfortably stand alongside the greatest.
The answer is a resounding 'Yes'. Antonio Pappano has recently scored a remarkable triumph at Covent Garden in Wagner's Ring and here, with his 'other' orchestra - the Rome-based Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia - he likewise brings an extraordinary sense of dramatic involvement to the works. The live recordings, made two months apart, have about them a palpable sense of occasion, with Pappano's enthusiasm and energy caught by the microphones to a tolerable degree (much better, this, than the sterility of the recording studio!).
From the anticipation of the very first bars, one senses that this will be a powerful reading of the 'New World'. Woodwind dissonances are deftly placed and the calls-to-arms from horns and strings bitingly alert. The outer movements are intensely gripping - driven, yet with room to open out for the more poetic moments - and the first movement's exposition repeat is quite rightly observed. A close but warm recording adds to the overall sense of involvement. The famous Largo is beautifully paced and poised, the cor anglais melody hauntingly plaintive, and the mounting intensity of the intervening episodes perfectly judged. In the Scherzo, the outer sections have an incisive energy, whilst the Trio dances in a delightfully carefree manner. The symphony's blazing end caps what is certainly one of the finest New Worlds of recent years, alive to every nuance of the music’s American songfulness.
Overflowing onto a second disc is a boldly expansive account of the Cello Concerto. Soloist Mario Brunello plays an early 17th-century instrument by Giovanni Paolo Maggini, and he draws from it a deliciously grainy tone which is well-balanced against the orchestra: not too spotlit, but distinctive and forward enough to stand out when the two are entwined. Brunello's account of the concerto is marked by an expressive toughness that finds sufficient breathing-room for the poignant yet unsentimental sadness of longing and mourning. This combination of discipline and flexibility ensures that the generally broad speeds never flag, and one has a real sense of being deep inside the 'tone' of this magical work. Its moments of heart-stopping beauty are caressed without ever being over-egged. Put simply, this is sentiment without sentimentality - musicianship at its best! Throughout, Brunello's noble yet deeply-felt and refreshingly characterful playing is thrillingly supported by Pappano's Rome forces. As in the symphony, the concerto builds to an overwhelming conclusion. Above all, it is the purely musical strengths of these familiar works - often overlooked in performances that are either routine or gimmicky - that are brought to the fore in these recordings.
The Santa Cecilia orchestra has worked with some illustrious musicians over the years, but with sweet-toned strings, characterful woodwind and imposing brass it has rarely sounded better. They are clearly now a force to be reckoned with, even in the most tried and tested repertoire. In an unusually competitive field, these compelling new Dvorak recordings can comfortably stand alongside the greatest.
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