Search - Antonin Dvorak, Christoph von Dohnányi, Cleveland Orchestra :: Dvorak: 3 Great Symphonies

Pure Dvorak

Ryan Richards | Midland, MI United States | 12/19/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After having listened to these interpretations of Dvorak's most famous symphonies, I can't go back to my old ones anymore. Granted, I'm a big fan of Dohnanyi's "straightforward approach," but it really does prove to be the right way to go here. I'm particularly taken with the Ninth, which many conductors take ridiculous liberties with to try to give it their seal of individuality. Dohnanyi correctly realizes that the individuality is already inherent the music and blazes straight ahead, and the results are fantastic--much like the classic Szell recording, but with even more fire. Try to find another recording of the Ninth whose outer movements are as drivingly vehement as these--or whose Largo movement is such a smooth, lyrical whisper. In contrast, the Eighth is exuberant all the way through, and the Seventh is as moody and poetic as it needs to be--although again, Dohnanyi distinguishes himself by not allowing the symphony to slip into either melodrama or hysteria, two easy pitfalls. There's a lot of competition out there for all three of these symphonies, so on some level the choice comes down to personal preference--but I guarantee you can't go wrong with these. Buy this set if you're tired of odd tempo and dynamic variations and you just want to hear pure Dvorak, played with meticulous precision and unquenchable energy. That's what you'll get."

YES!

M. Lu | Los Angeles, CA | 08/05/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm extremely glad that I bought this. I wasn't familiar with Dvorak's symphonies other than the popular 9th before I had a chance to listen to the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra play his 8th, which just absolutely blew me away in the concert. SLSO did a great job and I hope they'll make a recording of the 8th. Anyway, it was the topnotch excitement the 4th movement of the 8th that made me want to hear more for the very first time. I spent a lot of time reading the reviews of the different recordings available because I wanted to make sure that I'd get the best recording for the fabulous 8th, so I got this. The playing is wonderful, just like what other reviewers said. And I was happy to discover yet another great symphony of Dvorak's--the 7th. I listen to the 8th almost everyday and now I listen to the 7th a lot. In fact, I don't really listen to the 9th, don't know why. I find that the atmosphere the 7th and the 8th (especially) generate is more addictive than that the 9th create. Anyway, Dvorak's 8th is a must-have for people who are into classical music as well as those who are not, because I'm sure that people who are not into classical music would still find this piece a gem."

Good Bargain,.Good performances.

Jason Quintana | Gilbert, AZ USA | 08/13/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"David Hurwitz has some fairly bogus reviews here, and tends to be biased against certain performers. Still, he's done a good job here at Amazon pointing out good recordings and couplings that I might tend to flip past at a music store or... scroll past here at Amazon. This one is a real gem, and an excellent value.The Cleveland Orchestra rarely makes a bad recording. Their sound tends to be "lean", in that individual detail is the goal. There is still a certain warmth to the playing on this recording, and a level of folkyness. Here we have Dvorak's best symphony (the 7th), his most creative symphony (the 8th) and his most exciting symphony (the 9th) all played with a consistant level of flair and wonderful interpretation. I think this might actually be my favorite reading of the 7th symphony and the filler on the second disc, the Scherzo capriccioso has always been one of my favorites. I'll be coming back to this set for sure."