Search - Various :: Dvorak: The Masterworks

Great music at a great price

Vithmers | 01/10/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Disclaimer: I actually have the older Masterworks set, but as far as I can tell the only difference is in symphonies 1-7; and I already have three of those seven that I had previously purchased.



If you don't know Dvorak's symphonies, you're missing out on some beautiful music. Nos. 7-9 are justifiably famous, but I really can't say anything bad about his others, either. Dvorak had a fantastic ear for melody, and it shines through all nine symphonies. Paavo Järvi's reading of No. 9 is, perhaps, the best I've heard, and Yehudi Menuhin's No. 8 is also high up on my list, due in no small part to the Royal Philharmonic's horn section. The rest are covered by Paavo's father, Neeme, and Jirí Belohlávek. The recordings I own by these conductors are very solid and compete well. The only potential downside I see to the symphonies in this collection is that they're disparate. That's not bad in and of itself, but there are some who would prefer a cycle by a single conductor and orchestra.



If you do like such cycles, perhaps you'll appreciate the string quartets. All of Dvorak's quartets are included, and well played by the Stamitz quartet. I don't find chamber music quite as appealing as orchestral music, and yet I still enjoy these quartets. If you are unfamiliar with most of Dvorak's chamber music, I suspect you'll find a lot to like here.



It wouldn't be a Dvorak box set without some concertos, and this includes the piano, violin, and cello concertos. The cello concerto is a staple of the genre, and rightly so. The violin concerto is very fun to listen to, and the piano concerto is underrated, even if it's not quite a Mozart or Beethoven concerto. All are finely played.



In fact, most of Dvorak's piano music is, I feel, underrated. The piano four-hands music here is fantastic, and you might recognize some of it in its orchestrated form (particular the Slavonic Dances, also included).



Finally, and what might be the best, come the symphonic/tone poems and overtures. I sound like a broken record, I think, but these are criminally underappreciated. These, all brilliantly performed by the Janacek Philharmonic under Theodore Kuchar, are absolutely marvelous pieces. Whatever I say won't do justice to them, so just listen.



There is a lot of other material included that I simply don't have space to review, but it probably won't surprise you to hear me say that it's good. I may sound like I'm shilling for Dvorak, but that's simply because I think he's such a great composer.



Pros: Unbelievable amount of material for a very good price. Generally well-played throughout; these are not subpar recordings that Brilliant thew together haphazardly like you sometimes find in budget sets. Good selection of works.



Cons: Not all pieces include the date of recording, which is something I like to have. As mentioned, the symphonies are not all by the same orchestra/conductor. Perhaps the Humoresques could have been squeezed in somehow.



If you are not too familiar with Dvorak and enjoy Romantic music (later Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Bruch, etc), this would be a great place to start. You'll get quality recordings of most of his best works at a very fair price. Heck, if you know and like Dvorak and have a lot of his recordings, you'll probably like this too; I did."