Search - Antonin Dvorak, Istvan Kertesz, London Symphony Orchestra :: Dvorak: The Symphonies [Box Set]

Melody flows from Dvorak's pen like water from a tap.

Bob Zeidler | Charlton, MA United States | 10/29/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In the early '60s, I developed an interest in the Dvorak symphonies beyond the evergreen "Symphony from the New World" and began acquiring a complete set on the Artia label from Czechoslovakia. These were authoritative, idiomatic performances, but the sound quality - and the lack of stereo on at least a few of them - left me wishing for more.



I had barely finished this Artia set when the first release or two of Istvan Kertész's performances with the London Symphony, then on London LPs, hit the market. I can't really remember, at this late date, which was the first in the set except that it included a performance of the "Hussite Overture" that literally blew me away. In pretty short order, I soon had a second full set of Dvorak symphonies - the Kertész set - in splendidly up-to-date stereo sound and in performances that sounded, if anything, even more idiomatic than those Artia performances. And, as noted, a large part of the "freshness" to these Kertész performances may well be due to his relaxed approach to what had been for him new repertoire.



I don't know that there's ever been a more melodic composer than Dvorak. Some might opt for Tchaikovsky, but I would differ with them. Even Dvorak's early symphonies - long unknown to concert-goers and record-collectors - have the gift of spontaneous melody, if not the perfection of craft that his later works in the genre did. And his overtures and orchestral scherzi matched the symphonies in melodiousness: the "In Nature's Realm" Overture is downright irresistable in this respect.



This boxed set of the works, remastered for CD, is a splendid bargain. The remastered sound need take second place to any other integral set of the Dvorak symphonies (save one, which I mention briefly at the end). And of course the full magic of Kertész's performances is there for all to enjoy without concern for "settling for second best" in any respect.



But I have a few gripes about how Decca has gone about this CD release. The set of symphonies and overtures comes in two 4-CD jewel boxes inside a slipcase. But there are only 6 CDs, the penny-pinching for which leads to awkward sidebreaks for a few of the symphonies. And the "Hussite Overture" - one of the very best in the set, and one of the very best performances of the work anywhere - is nowhere to be found.



How much better it would have been had Decca seen fit to include the "Hussite Overture" and with the very real expectation that the regrettable sidebreaks would not have occurred! This is reason enough for me to give this release only 4 stars. And it is a shame because it needn't have been that way!



There is every appearance that Ivan Fischer (interestingly, another Hungarian and not a Czech) is in the process of doing his own (and very new) traversal of these works, with the Budapest Festival Orchestra and on the Philips label. The little I've heard has me very excited. But Fischer does not "put Kertész in the shade." And the price is considerably higher.



Aside from the aforementioned nits about saving a disc or two and its side effects, I doubt very much that you'd be disappointed in this bargain boxed set.



Bob Zeidler"

An incredible bargain

Evan Wilson | Cambridge, MA | 08/01/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's hard to believe that Decca is reissuing this set at this price given the fact that it pretty much renders most of the more recent, full price recordings of Dvorak moot. This is simply a terrific cycle of the Dvorak symphonies! Kertesz brings life and excitement to all these pieces. His touch works especially well in the first six symphonies, which are all sadly neglected in the concert hall. Rhythms are crisp and bracing. The orchestral sound pulses with life. The Amazon reviewer rightly notes that the playing isn't perfect, but there is so much vibrancy to the playing that the occasional crudeness is irrelevant.This bargain is also an excellent introduction to the treasures that lie in Dvorak's early symphonies. Numbers one and two are certainly overlong, but you have to love the scherzo of the first. Three and four are considered Wagnerian by many critics, but both contain a wealth of gorgeous melody. (I especially like the opening of three and the soaring melody introduced a few minutes into the Finale of 4.) Five is a wonderfully bucolic piece (at least until the Finale), with another memorable scherzo. Six is very Brahmsian--with a wonderful opening movement rich with horns.You may have recordings of the last three, but Kertesz need not bow before anyone in these pieces, so don't let duplication keep you from getting this. I noticed that DG has rereleased the wonderful Kubelik cycle, but it is more expensive. Get this one and hope that DG offers Kubelik on separate discs so that you can get his fabulous sixth."

It ain't all roses and cream

Larry VanDeSande | Mason, Michigan United States | 08/13/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"For decades, reviewers -- just like the 15 or so here that gave this set 5 stars -- tripped over themselves trying to describe to you how great was this set of integral Dvoark symphonies by Istvan Kertesz and the London Symphony Orchestra. And, for decades, it was hard for me to believe that Istvan Kertesz and the 1972-era London Symphony Orchestra could be among the world's greatest exponents of this music.



So I waited until I could get this set cheap -- I mean cheap! -- before buying. And, just as I suspected with Karajan's set of Mendelssohn symphonies, when I actually got the thing at home, it wasn't quite what everyone had been saying all that time.



I have no particular objection with Kertezs' way with the music. While not as ingrained in the Budapest, Hungary born conductor's soul as it may have been in a Czech conductor such as Ancerl or Vaclav Neumann, his advocacy is strong, if not particularly individual, throughout the set. In addtion, this set includes many recordings that were firsts at a time when the composers symphonies 1-6 were not well documented on vinyl or tape.



However, other characteristics of this set put me off to no end. First, and foremost, is the way the CDs are arranged -- in two separate boxes, one with Symphonies 1-6 on four CDs and Symphonies 7-9 on a pair. Why two boxes? I don't know. Why not in cardboard slipcases inside one box, that would save space and not break? Don't ask me.



It gets worse, too. In the first box, the first CD contains all of Symphony 1 and a piece of Symphony 2, starting a trend that continues on all four CDs. They are all arranged poorly with one symphony cleaning up (finishing) on the first or second tracks and another one beginning after that. If you've ever played a CD in the car you know how idiotic this seems and how difficult it is to manage. It requires twice the work to play them at home, too.



Second, the London Symphony, which was not the world's best in the 1970s, is not the best orchestra for this music. The brass lack the weight and force to drive home the message as clearly and forcefully as Kubelik does it in his collaboration with the Berlin Philharmonic and Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (with whom he also recorded some outstanding Smetana at about the same time). Be advised the Kubelik set includes many of the same space-saving devices -- cramming three movements each of Symphony 3 and 5 on a single CD -- as this issue.



Third, the sound on this issue was probably pretty good for 1973 but is only adequate in 2007. I don't know if this has been remastered in recent years but the set I have does not sound any better than average for its period, with a decidedly two by two perspective. I can't imagine spending much time listening to this with better recordings (some from the same era) and more well-recorded performances available. I can't count a single performance from this set that displaced any of my personal favorites.



To its credit, this set includes a nice performance of four Dvorak overtures and tone poems incluidng "In Nature's Realm" that concludes one of the CDs; three others fill out the "New World" symphony CD. Still, buyers looking for an integral set of Dvorak symphonies in Czech style should listen closely and compare to the more dramatic but also more costly Kubelik set before investing, in my opinion.



Another, perhaps better, alternative is the Dvorak symphony set by Otmar Suitner on Berlin Classics, which is still available new for about $17 from an Amazon vendor. While not the last word in Czech expression, Suitner manifests all the joy of these symphonies -- which occasionally eludes Kertesz -- while capturing most of the drama. Recorded during the 1970s and 1980s, the Berlin State Orchestra isn't presented in the kind of detailed sound we take for granted these days but its playing is warm and Suitner's leadership is very exciting and, by turn, humanistic. Maybe best of all, the Suitner set -- which eschews add ons -- is far more intelligently laid out on five disks, a big improvement over the idiotic foundation of either the Kertesz or Kubelik sets.



A side issue to the Suitner set is relatively colorless sound. For listeners looking for better sound in an integral set, the various collections by Vaclav Neumann and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, which arrive in a trio of 2-CD sets combining the early (1-3), middle (4-6) and late (7-9) symphonies works better and allows the listener to buy only the symphonies (s)he wants. These are outstanding and unique performances by a noted Dvoark expert in wonderful sound. Best of the batch is probably the middle combo with Symphonies 4-6 which scored a 10/10 on www.ClassicsToday.com for artistry and sound. It may end up costing you more to buy all the symphonies this way but it's a better investment than the Kertesz set."