Search - Antonin Dvorak, Christoph von Dohnányi, Cleveland Orchestra :: Dvorak: Symphony Nos.7 & 8

A Great Bargain

M. C. Passarella | Lawrenceville, GA | 05/24/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Initially, these recordings were no bargain at all despite the excellence of the performance and recording. They were stingily issued by Decca/London on two separate CDs. But as the LP went away and the industry grudgingly admitted a CD could successfully accommodate more music, two Dvorak symphonies on a disc became the norm. Hence this oxymoronic pairing--Dvorak's darkest and most dramatic symphony along with one of his sunniest and most refulgent. The Seventh must also be accounted his greatest symphony, with a finale that is obviously autobiographical: the hard-won semi-triumph of the turn from D minor to D major in the cadence is a portrait of Dvorak himself in his rise from obscure local musician to international figure. More, it reflects the stoic acceptance of tragedy that was the lot of nineteenth-century folk, ignorant of the boons of modern medicine. Dvorak, after all, knew the heartache attendant on the death of one's children.



That tragic sense, that great tension, are captured beautifully in this performance and recording. The Cleveland play with incredible intensity and provide a dark but beautiful sound top to bottom, as do the London engineers. I venture to say this is a great recording of a great symphony, one that will be treasured long into the future, I predict.



Then there is the sunny Eighth Symphony. The performance is just as apt, just as attuned to Dvorak's muse.



If this is the pairing of Dvorak symphonies that you're looking for, given the marriage of executant excellence and first-rate recording, certainly it must be the first choice regardless of price."

Wonderful performance of incredible works

Kevin Tao | Redmond, WA USA | 11/22/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Dvorak's 7th symphony is a thrilling work, from beginning to end. It is a stormy, dramatic piece, and has become one of my favorite symphonies of any composer. Though it enjoys less performances than his 8th or 9th symphonies, many critics consider it his finest symphonic work.The Cleveland orchestra is in top form here. The sound quality of this CD is superb. I should also mention that the timpanis are particularly well-recorded. In many recordings they sound mushy and reverberate too much, but here, they are wonderfully punctuated and emphatic.$ is a great price for a recording of this quality. I would highly recommend it for anyone who hasn't heard the 7th or 8th symphonies or who has but is looking for an excellent recording of them."