Dvorak: Symphony No. 6 (CD review)

Also, Nocturne in B major; Scherzo capriccioso. Marin Alsop, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.  Naxos 8.570995.

Maestro Marin Alsop and her Baltimore Symphony Orchestra continue their cycle of Dvorak's nine symphonies, apparently working their way backward, as they had already released Symphonies Nos. 7, 8, and 9 before now issuing No. 6. So far, Ms. Alsop has given us fine recordings of the Eighth and Ninth, although I didn't care as much for her reading the Seventh.

Czech composer Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904) premiered his Symphony No. 6 in D major, Op. 60, in 1881, after some resistance in Vienna, where he had intended for it to make its initial appearance. It's a delightful composition and one of the man's most-charming works.

The opening movement is sunny and bright, with a pleasantly memorable central theme. Ms. Alsop plays it lightly but not frivolously, maintaining a good balance between seriousness and sentimentality. She and her orchestra impart a golden glow to the proceedings that is really quite fetching.

The slow-movement Adagio moves firmly yet gracefully along as the Baltimore ensemble caress its plush tones. The Scherzo that follows pays tribute to an old Czech folk dance, which Alsop whips up to a furious pace, maintaining it until a more-rustic section intervenes. Then the Finale introduces a big Brahms-like melody, which concludes the work in high good spirits, Ms. Alsop taking every advantage of the jubilant atmosphere. This may be her best Dvorak performance to date.

Of the two accompanying pieces, the composer published the Nocturne in B major, Op. 40, in 1883, adapting it from the slow movement of his earlier String Quartet in E minor. It's a lovely if slightly melancholy tune. The program ends with the Scherzo capriccioso, Op. 66, also from 1883. It is among Dvorak's best-known compositions, with a wonderfully lilting waltz at its heart, so Ms. Alsop closes the album in style.

The sound, recorded live at Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, Baltimore, Ohio, in March 2008 and 2009 (the Scherzo capriccioso), is marginally less thick than it was in Alsop's Seventh and Eighth Symphony recordings, but it still doesn't reveal as much midrange detail as it might. It's somewhat soft, and there appears to be a smidgeon of lower-midrange/upper bass hangover that tends to cloud ultimate transparency a mite. Also, during quieter passages one can sometimes hear a soft rustling from the audience and/or the players. Fortunately, however, there is no applause to spoil the mood. While dynamics and frequency response in the Symphony and Nocturne are adequate, they are not in the demonstration class. In the Scherzo capriccioso, though, we hear a slightly greater punch.

As with Naxos's previous Alsop Dvorak recordings, they provide the CD case with a handsome cardboard slipcover.

JJP