Symphony No. 6 in D, Op. 60 |
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| 1 | Allegro non tanto |
18. 37 | |
| 2 | Adagio |
10. 40 | |
| 3 | Scherzo (Furiant) – Presto |
8. 21 | |
| 4 | Finale – Allegro con spirito |
10. 54 | |
| 5 | Vodník, Op. 107 | 20. 15 | |
Total playing time: |
69. 21 | ||
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Antonín Dvorák Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Amsterdam PTC 5186 302
Download Biographies - Discographies in PDF Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra Amsterdam Yakov Kreizberg
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| The fruits of megalomania Antonín Dvorák (1841 – 1904) is the second in a row of four consecutive generations of composers who supplied the Czech Republic with its musical reputation: Smetana, Dvorák, Janá In 1878, Johannes Brahms – who was at the time the advisor with regard to the awarding of state study grants in the Austrian empire (to which the Czech Republic belonged) – was presented with one of Dvorák’s compositions, entitled Moravian Duets. Brahms decided to support Dvorák. In addition, he put him in touch with a publisher in Vienna. Subsequently, Dvorák submitted a number of compositions entitled Slavonic Dances, which won him the approval of the public. These compelling pieces made such an impression on leading conductor Hans Richter, that he commissioned Dvorák to write a symphony for the Vienna Philharmonic. The work was completed by the late summer of 1880. This was to become Dvorák’s sixth symphony, although it was only the first to be published, following its world première in Prague in 1881. The symphony was performed successfully all over the place, and from that time onwards the composer was included in the “walhalla” of European music. However, the Symphony No. 6 is not a surprising or innovative work as far as content or form is concerned. The four movements have a predominantly positive character; there is no question of a dramatic expression of feeling. Here and there, the style of composition dovetails with that of Brahms, especially in the latter’s Symphony No. 2 (1877), written in the same key of D major. Sweetly flowing, folk-like melodies which instantly become fixed in the memory (such as the first theme from the first movement), dancing rhythms and at times virtuoso passages ensure insouciant and pleasurable listening. Halfway through the second movement (Adagio) an ominous build-up occurs, which swings the mood into one of melancholy, but that is due to an artistic contrast effect. The third movement is exciting, a Scherzo based on the fiery rhythm of a Slavonic dance (the furiant). Dvorák had imitated Smetana’s national element. Symphonic narrative Vodník This characteristic of Czech self-awareness is clearly expressed in five symphonic poems written by Dvorák after returning in 1895 from his three-year stay in New York (where he had composed his Symphony No. 9 From the New World). Vodník, otherwise known as The Water Goblin (1896) is the first of the series Op.107 to Op. 111, which is based on ballads collected and adapted by the Czech national poet Karel Jaromir Erben. The fate of a peasant girl is presented during the symphonic narration, which lasts about twenty minutes. Despite warnings from her mother, she goes to a nearby lake. A water goblin lives there, who lusts after maidens coming there to bathe or do the washing. Right at the beginning of the piece, the theme of the water goblin can be heard, a motif which develops from an elegant and seductive mood to one of menace and dominance; it weaves its way throughout the entire narration. Subsequently, Dvorák portrays both mother and daughter, with the final result of the dark depths of the lake, where the water goblin imprisons his women: the portrayal of the underwater world sounds magical. He also fathers a child from his latest conquest, who then serves as collateral for a one-day return to the upper world, as the girl is overcome with yearning for her mother (expressed in a melancholy lullaby for flute and oboe). The latter manages to prevent her daughter returning by the curfew; by breaking her promise, a storm is unleashed, during which the water goblin appears, kills their child and throws it into the house. For this scene, Dvorák used every vehement effect available to him in the romantic orchestral palette. A few years later, Dvorák wrote his beautiful opera Rusalka about another water goblin and his daughter, in which he elaborated in an even more magnificent manner the art of portraying nature in music. |
“A reading that consistently brings out the fact that not a bar could have been written by any other composer
Edward Greenfield, Gramophone
“It’s a first rate account, made even more effective by the virtuosity and commitment of the orchestra, which provides excellent ensemble and an impressive level of definition in the inner parts”.
Peter J. Rabinowitz, International Record Review
“Yakov Kreizberg turns in a personal, persuasive account of the Sixth Symphony….Kreizberg’s view of The Water Goblin also is very well paced and dramatic. A very enjoyable disc”.
David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com
“The remarkable and colorfully orchestrated tone poems based on the folk ballads of Karel Jaromir Erben obviously fuel Kreizberg’s dramatic instincts. He gives an electrifying account of the grisly events depicted in The Water Goblin. In fact, his performances of the three Dvo?ák tone poems he has recorded so far are second to none”.
Arthur Lintgen, Fanfare
“The Sixth Symphony is a stirring, melodic work that enjoyed great success in the composer’s own lifetime. It is lush and romantic; perhaps its biggest excitement comes from a driving third movement inspired by the rhythms of the furiant, a Czech folk dance. Kreizberg and his virtuoso musicians have a field day with this movement”.
Rad Bennett, Soundstage.com
“The opening strings have to sound dark and mysterious, and this is best achieved by making the articulation legato and less detached; this makes the opening forte with the brass more effective and striking, especially if they come in with a sharper distance and greater staccato between the chords.
The sound on this issue is sumptuous; you will not hear finer, more articulate clarity in the orchestra on any other recording that I know of, and the piano sounds simply marvelous, clean, bold, and rich. The surround is very effective, truly enhancing the vagaries of the listening space, and providing a direct and effective aural focus.
Unreservedly recommended”.
FANFARE: Steven E. Ritter
