Antonin Dvořák (1841-1904)
Symphony No 7 in D minor, Op 70 (1885)
Symphony No 8 in G major, Op 88 (1889-90)
Symphony No 9 in E minor, Op 95 ‘From the New World’ (1893)
‘Nature, Love and Life’ Overtures (1891-92) listed after review
Czech Philharmonic/Semyon Bychkov
rec. 2023, Dvořák Hall, Rudolfinum, Prague, Czechia
Pentatone PTC 5187 216 [2 CDs: 158]
In the former Czech Republic (now Czechia) – and elsewhere, for that matter – 2024, the bicentennial of Bedřich Smetana’s birth, is being marked as a year of Czech music. In recognition of that, Semyon Bychkov and the Czech Philharmonic have paused their cycle of Mahler symphony recordings for Pentatone and focussed on Czech music, albeit the recordings so far issued were actually made prior to 2024. Earlier in the year I enjoyed their recording of Smetana’s Má Vlast (review) and now they turn their attention to Dvořák, who died 120 years ago. (In passing, might I express a hope that Pentatone and the Czech Phil will mark the 170th anniversary of the birth of another Czech master, Leoš Janáček?)
In this Dvořák collection, they give us his last three symphonies. Furthermore, when I opened the package, I was delighted to discover that there’s a substantial bonus in the form of the three concert overtures which Dvořák composed between his last two symphonies under the collective title ‘Nature, Love and Life’.
Bychkov does the Seventh symphony well. At the very start I wondered if the music sounded a bit low-key, but the performance is soon into its stride and in fact parts of the movement are strongly projected, while the more relaxed elements are affectionately rendered. I like Bychkov’s account of the Poco adagio; the performance sounds idiomatic and there’s a good deal of fine plying to admire, not least from the woodwind section. In the Scherzo the rhythms are delightfully sprung and there’s plenty of charm. The finale also comes off well; I particularly like the thrust and vitality in those passages which need it. Overall, this is a very good account of the Seventh.
In his booklet essay, Jan Smaczny reminds us that the D minor symphony was commissioned by what became the Royal Philharmonic Society; this evidenced Dvořák’s growing reputation in Britain. By contrast, the Eighth symphony seems to have been written, as Smaczny puts it, “primarily for himself”. Much of this work is radiant and nature-focussed, but there are darker elements too. Smaczny rightly points out that the death of the composer’s sister-in-law, not long before he began work on the symphony, affected Dvořák and his family very much. Thus, for example, in the first movement we hear major-key geniality tempered by passages cast in minor modes. The Czech Philharmonic must have played this music on innumerable occasions, but there’s no trace of routine in this performance. Smaczny makes an important observation when he talks of the “strong narrative quality” in the Adagio second movement. That quality definitely comes out in Bychkov’s performance. He leads a performance that is strong in contrasts – both dynamic and emotional – and both the beauty and the darker elements of the movement come across convincingly. The Allegretto grazioso is a delightful movement and this performance is beautifully articulated. I did wonder, though, if things might have been even better if Bychkov had adopted a tempo which was a fraction swifter. The same thought crossed my mind as I listened to the beguiling Trio. Other listeners may feel differently, of course, and in any case, I’m only talking about a matter of degree here. I greatly admired the delicacy of the playing when the Scherzo material resumes after the Trio. I like Jan Smaczny’s description of the finale as “a freewheeling mix of variation and concentrated development”. Freewheeling the music may be, but I think that the movement is also tightly organised. This performance benefits from terrific playing by the Czech Philharmonic; again, the woodwind contributions are a joy to hear. The Eighth is my favourite among Dvořák’s orchestral works and I enjoyed this performance very much.
In discussing the first movement of the ‘New World’ Jan Smaczny refers to the “enormous dynamism” of the Allegro molto music. One experiences that in Bychkov’s performance, but I felt that the selected tempo was just a little on the steady side; a slight increase of speed would have completely sealed the deal for me. The performance brings out the weighty side of Dvořák’s music and that’s not unwelcome. There’s plenty of power in the development section and at the very end of the movement – but I felt that the tempo selection meant that just a bit of energy was lacking. On the other hand, Bychkov achieves a nice, natural flow in the slow movement; the famous cor anglais solo is beautifully delivered. This is a very successful account of the movement; the phrasing is lovely and the orchestra displays great sensitivity. Just before the end, the solo string players are especially fine. There’s plenty of fire in the Scherzo, but also lots of charm; the Trio has a lovely lilt. Bychkov and his players make excellent, though not exaggerated, use of dynamic contrasts. The finale is essentially dynamic, but that doesn’t mean that the lyrical episodes aren’t given full value. It’s a very fine performance and, as I listened, I reflected that it wasn’t surprising that the premiere in New York was such a triumph for the composer. At the very end, I have the impression that Bychkov holds the last chord for a bit longer than many conductors do; it works, vindicating Jan Smaczny’s comment that the final chord “dwindles memorably into silence”.
It’s been a while – too long – since I’ve listened to these symphonies; to be honest, my review listening leaves me with little time for leisure listening nowadays. It’s been a joy to have the opportunity to listen attentively to this trio of masterpieces once again. And it’s been all the more enjoyable – and rather fitting – to experience them in performances by the Czech Philharmonic.
As I said earlier, the inclusion of the three overtures which constitute ‘Nature, Love and Life’ is a very welcome bonus. In Nature’s Realm is a delightful, outgoing composition which shows Dvořák at one with, and revelling in, Nature. As is the case in all three of the symphonies, his woodwind writing is a consistent delight in this piece – and especially so when played like this. The overture receives a splendid performance. My favourite among the three is the ebullient Carnival. Bychkov does the fizzing outer sections very well, while the central Andante is lovingly played. Othello similarly receives a very good performance. Despite some turbulent passages, it’s not the darkest musical depiction of the Othello story – Dvořák was not of the same temperament as Verdi – but it’s a good piece nonetheless and the present performance makes a strong case for it.
I enjoyed these two discs. I don’t think that Semyon Bychkov quite matches the achievement of conductors such as Ančerl, Kubelik or Mackerras in the symphonies, but he leads very good performances and the set as a whole is an attractive proposition. Pentatone’s recordings are very good. I don’t know if these performances come from live concerts or were made under studio conditions; if it’s the former, then there’s no evidence of audience noise to distract the listener. Jan Smaczny’s booklet essay is useful.
Previous review Nick Barnard (August 2024)
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‘Nature, Love and Life’ Overtures:
In Nature’s Realm – Concert Overture, Op 91
Carnival – Concert Overture, Op 92
Othello – Concert Overture, Op 93
