Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904)
Symphony No 6 in D major, Op 60, B 112 (1880)
Symphony No. 7 in D minor, Op 70, B 141 (1885)
Symphony No. 8 in G major, Op 88, B 163 (1889)
Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op 95, B 178 ‘From the New World’ (1893)
Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884)
Má vlast, JB1: 112 (1874-1879)
Leoš Janáček (1854-1928)
Sinfonietta, Op 60, JW VI/18 “Sokol Festival” (1926)
London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Colin Davis, Sir Simon Rattle (Janáček)
rec. live, 1999-2018, The Barbican Hall, London, UK
LSO Live LSO0571 SACD [4 discs: 268]
This box of reissued recordings enables the LSO Live label to celebrate a number of anniversaries. 2024 has been designated the Year of Czech Music – certainly in the Czech Republic – as it coincides with the bicentenary of Smetana’s birth. It’s also the 170th anniversary of Janáček’s birth and 120 years since the death of Dvořák. Last, but by no means least, the 2024/25 season sees the label’s own 25th anniversary. It’s an important label and over the years we’ve reviewed many of their discs, as you can see by looking here. Nowadays it’s by no means unusual for orchestras to issue own-label recordings, though some of these labels have proved more successful and durable than others. What I had not appreciated until I delved into the booklet that accompanies this set of discs, was that when the LSO launched their own label in 1999, they were the first international orchestra to take this step. I’ve had these Colin Davis recordings of the Dvořák symphonies in my collection for a long time but it hadn’t registered with me that the recordings of the ‘New World’ and the Eighth were respectively the first and second recordings made and released by the fledgling label: the ‘New World’ was recorded at two concerts at the end of September 1999 while the recording of the Eighth was the product of a couple of concerts given about a week later.
With one exception, all the recordings gathered together in this box were issued as CDs but are now offered as SACDs. The exception is Janáček’s Sinfonietta, which was issued on SACD in 2020. Readers who may have some of the Davis CDs in their collection will want to know if the SACDs represent an enhancement. I made A/B comparisons of the Sixth and the Seventh symphonies and I’m in no doubt that the stereo layer of the SACDs offers an improved listening experience. On my equipment the SACD sound is warmer and also has more body to it than is the case on the CDs. I also had the impression of a greater sense of space when listening to the SACDs.
Sir Colin’s reading of the Sixth symphony was recorded at two Barbican concerts on 29 and 30 September 2004 and was issued as LSO0059 with a rather short playing time of 46:19: there was no coupling. It would appear that we didn’t review the original release. Davis’s performance is a good one. The first movement is purposeful at times but the predominant impression I have is of expressive affection. The second movement (Adagio) is a lovely creation; here, it’s played warmly and with no little sensitivity. The Scherzo, one of Dvořák’s best, is a furiant. In her notes about the symphony Alison Bullock draws parallels with Brahms’ Second symphony. She’s right, but this third movement, with its driving, earthy rhythms, is very un-Brahmsian. Davis’s approach is fast and dynamic, which is exactly what the music needs. In the rustic Trio I admired the work of the LSO woodwinds. The finale is given a lively performance. I’ve liked this Davis performance ever since I bought it nearly twenty years ago and I like it still.
In 2020 LSO Live licensed Sir Colin’s recordings of the Seventh and Eighth symphonies to Alto who released them coupled on a single CD. As I mentioned, the Eighth was recorded in October 1999; the Seventh dates from March 2001. I reviewed the Alto coupling and rather than repeat myself here, I’d refer readers to my detailed comments on the Alto disc. In summary, I liked Davis’s version of the Seventh; it seemed to me that the performance was a bit darker than the fine one which he recorded for Philips in 1975 with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. The only thing that still jars with me is the way in which Davis applies the brakes with a vengeance right at the end of the work; the effect seems overdone. The LSO performance of the Eighth is just as successful. The highlight for me is the slow movement where the playing of the woodwinds is a delight.
The recording of the ‘New World’ was included in LSO Live’s 2019 anthology of Davis recordings which I reviewed. With so many recordings to cover in that big box set, there was a limited amount of space to discuss each work. So, let me expand on my favourable view of Davis’s ‘New World’. I like the degree of drive that Davis brings to the Allegro molto section of the first movement. The Largo is poetically done and it’s a special pleasure to hear in the famous cor anglais solo the artistry of Christine Pendrill who was the orchestra’s principal cor anglais for, I believe, 37 years until she retired in 2022. I referred to the drive that characterises much of the first movement; that quality is also in evidence in the Scherzo, except of course in the Trio, which is nicely relaxed. Davis leads a spirited account of the finale.
There is just one recording in this set which I’d not previously heard: Smetana’s Má vlast,which was recorded at concerts in May 2005. Davis does this set of symphonic poems very well. In ‘Vyšehrad’ the harps are beautifully balanced at the start. Once the poetic opening is behind us, the music then catches fire in an exciting fashion. ‘Vltava’ is very good; Davis successfully paints the pictures of the various aspects of the mighty Moldau as it runs its course. There’s a red-blooded account of ‘Šárka’. In ‘From Bohemia’s Woods and Fields’ I think Davis conducts very persuasively and the LSO plays the music really well as, indeed, is the case throughout the cycle. Some parts of ‘Tábor’ can seem rather blatantly patriotic – though I understand why that should be so. Davis doesn’t play down that aspect of the piece; the performance is incisive and exciting and I should also draw attention to the sense of suspense at the very start. The cycle finishes with a vivid rendition of ‘Blanik’. I’m glad I’ve been able to catch up with this performance at last; it’s well worth hearing.
The set is completed by Janáček’s Sinfonietta, which is conducted by Sir Simon Rattle. This is a more recent performance; it dates from September 2018. When this performance was issued by LSO Live in 2020 it was coupled with Rattle’s live recording of The Cunning Little Vixen. I discussed the performance in my review of that set. It’s an exciting account of a piece that suits Rattle very well. I’m glad this recording was included to complement Sir Colin’s performances.
This is a very welcome set, not least because it offers us a chance to hear Sir Colin Davis’s recordings in enhanced sound. It’s a very fitting way to celebrate both the Year of Czech music and the silver jubilee of LSO Live.
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