Václav Neumann concludes his remarkable Dvorák symphony cycle on a high note, turning in what is arguably the finest and most consistent set of the last three symphonies since George Szell. All of the competition in this area has problems: Kubelik’s Seventh isn’t fabulous, and neither is Kertesz’s (who did a better “New World” in his earlier VPO rendition). Rowicki, also less good in the Seventh than in the later two works, like Kertesz has an LSO whose playing is no match for that of the Czech Philharmonic. Colin Davis and the Concertgebouw offer a stunning Seventh and a decent “New World”, but an unremarkable Eighth. Järvi turns in fine accounts of Nos. 8 and 9, but makes heavy going of the Seventh, and he’s cavernously recorded too. Neumann, by contrast, shines in the Seventh, perhaps Dvorák’s greatest symphony. His attack on the first movement’s climax remains unrivaled, and he milks the finale’s tragic foreboding for all it’s worth but never lets the music bog down (those marvelous Czech winds help a lot too).
The Eighth is noteworthy for its effortless sense of flow, and also for a finale that, in the Czech tradition of Talich, takes the scherzo variations in tempo yet still has sufficient rhythmic kick to provide an exciting conclusion. Neumann recorded the “New World” Symphony more times than I care to count, his last efforts revealing sadly diminished capacity. This is his best version, a “traditional” performance in the sense that it doesn’t bring new revelations to this oft-played symphony, but it’s also one whose feeling of “rightness” (note the beautifully relaxed yet seemingly self-propelled Largo and the trenchantly argued finale) married to superb playing places it among the handful of great accounts. Supraphon’s first-rate sonics also distinguish this, the most consistently excellent of all complete Dvorák symphony cycles, from the rest of the pack. Supraphon’s happy decision to offer the nine symphonies in sets of three also means that you don’t have to commit to the whole production until you’ve had a chance to sample–but sample you certainly should. [3/22/2003]
