Symphonies Nos. 6-9. David Bernard, Park Avenue Chamber Symphony. Recursive Classics RC3137552 (2-disc set).
By John J. Puccio
Of the nine symphonies that Czech composer Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904) wrote, it is his final three that have become his most popular and remain among the classical genre’s greatest hits. In the present album by David Bernard and the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony we get not only the last three symphonies, but the last four.
Yet that’s not all. Recursive Classics have fit the four symphonies onto two discs, and they are offering the 2-CD set for the price of a single disc. That seems to me a bargain upon a bargain. Of course, it wouldn’t be much of a deal if the performances and sound weren’t up the job. Fortunately, they are, making the set a bargain upon a bargain upon a bargain.
Now, about the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony. It includes mainly players who do other things for a living (like being hedge-fund managers, philanthropists, CEO's, UN officials, and so on). They're not exactly amateurs, but they're not full-time, paid musicians, either. Happily, their playing dispels any skepticism about the quality of their work; everyone involved with the orchestra deserves praise. Nor is the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony a particularly small group. It's about the size of a full symphony orchestra, yet their performances are slightly more intimate and the sound slightly more transparent than most orchestras. It makes for a refreshing combination.
So, on to the program: Things begin with the Symphony No. 6 in D Major, Op. 60, which Dvorak wrote in 1880. It was the first of the composer’s large-scale works to get the world’s attention. While adhering to a conventional classical-romantic form, it manages to pack in a lot of Czech folk music in its four movements. Dvorak composed the work for the Vienna Philharmonic and dedicated it to conductor Hans Richter. Maestro Bernard sets the tone for the rest of the program by engaging the music robustly and reveling in the folklike atmosphere of the tunes. He also keeps tempos on the speedy side, with contrasts and pauses emphasized for dramatic effect. The orchestra responds to Bernard’s direction with precision and gusto. In the end, the presentation may force some listeners to come away with a better appreciation for the work.
Next is the Symphony No. 7 in D Minor, Op. 70, which Dvorak completed in 1885 and in which the composer begins to hit his stride. The symphony’s style is generally more emotional, theatrical, assertive, and to some extent dispiriting than the mood of Dvorak’s earlier folk-inspired music. In the piece, Dvorak pursued his most ambitious score to date, striving to accommodate his own personal grief and a desire to endorse a budding Czech nationalism. As before, Maestro Bernard handles it with an easy yet energetic commitment, the music dancing in lithe, flowing rhythms throughout while projecting a strong case for the symphony’s poignancy and pathos.
By the time of Dvorak’s Symphony No. 8 in G Major, Op. 88 in 1889, the world was beginning to consider the composer in a league with Schumann and Brahms. Even though the symphony begins in a somewhat downbeat spirit, it soon finds its bearings and emerges among the most-cheerful and poetic of Dvorak's works, the style and structure very much in the Czech Romantic tradition and the inspiration coming largely from the Bohemian folk tunes of the composer's native country. Again, Maestro Bernard and his forces attack the piece with an ebullient verve. The music perhaps loses some weight compared to other renditions but makes up for it in fervent commitment, the whole retaining an evocative elegance. Then, too, the performance may lack the ultimate finesse of some of my favorite conductors in this piece like Barbirolli, Pesek, Davis, Kertesz, or Kubelik, but it’s close. And what the interpretation lacks in subtlety, it more than makes up for in boldness, vitality, and incisiveness.
Finally, we have Dvorak’s crowning achievement, the Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95, subtitled “From the New World,” which he wrote in 1893. Many listeners over the years have heard instances of American accents in the music, when in fact Dvorak said most of it was entirely original. The "New World" business only came about because Dvorak happened to be living in New York at the time he wrote it. While to some small degree local American tunes may have inspired the composer, the music is clearly Czech in flavor.
Maestro Bernard takes his time with the symphony’s first movement, calculating each note, each phrase, each pause, and each dynamic contrast for maximum effect. The first movement in particular comes through with dramatic clarity and impact, a shining example of what can be done with a little creativity and determination. The second movement Largo suffers only minor cost from this approach, losing a little something in overall wistfulness. Then, too, the movement might have benefited from a richer string section. I dunno. The Scherzo zips along splendidly, the rhythms pulsating with energy. Dvorak marked the final movement Allegro con fuoco (“Quick, lively, and fiery”), a direction the conductor carries out with diligence. It caps another invigorating reading from Bernard.
Recording engineers Joel Watts, Asaf Blasberg, and Gunnar Gillberg recorded the symphonies at the DiMenna Center for the Performing Arts, New York City in May 2019. As with previous Recursive Classics recordings I’ve heard, this one is exceptionally smooth. It’s perhaps a tad too softly focused for some audiophile tastes, but it’s certainly easy on the ears while still providing detail, space, air, ambience, and dynamics. On a final note, I should add that the volume output appears slightly lower than one finds with most other recordings; therefore; you may have to turn it up a bit for best results.
JJP
To listen to a brief excerpt from this album, click below:
By John J. Puccio
Yet that’s not all. Recursive Classics have fit the four symphonies onto two discs, and they are offering the 2-CD set for the price of a single disc. That seems to me a bargain upon a bargain. Of course, it wouldn’t be much of a deal if the performances and sound weren’t up the job. Fortunately, they are, making the set a bargain upon a bargain upon a bargain.
Now, about the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony. It includes mainly players who do other things for a living (like being hedge-fund managers, philanthropists, CEO's, UN officials, and so on). They're not exactly amateurs, but they're not full-time, paid musicians, either. Happily, their playing dispels any skepticism about the quality of their work; everyone involved with the orchestra deserves praise. Nor is the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony a particularly small group. It's about the size of a full symphony orchestra, yet their performances are slightly more intimate and the sound slightly more transparent than most orchestras. It makes for a refreshing combination.
So, on to the program: Things begin with the Symphony No. 6 in D Major, Op. 60, which Dvorak wrote in 1880. It was the first of the composer’s large-scale works to get the world’s attention. While adhering to a conventional classical-romantic form, it manages to pack in a lot of Czech folk music in its four movements. Dvorak composed the work for the Vienna Philharmonic and dedicated it to conductor Hans Richter. Maestro Bernard sets the tone for the rest of the program by engaging the music robustly and reveling in the folklike atmosphere of the tunes. He also keeps tempos on the speedy side, with contrasts and pauses emphasized for dramatic effect. The orchestra responds to Bernard’s direction with precision and gusto. In the end, the presentation may force some listeners to come away with a better appreciation for the work.
Next is the Symphony No. 7 in D Minor, Op. 70, which Dvorak completed in 1885 and in which the composer begins to hit his stride. The symphony’s style is generally more emotional, theatrical, assertive, and to some extent dispiriting than the mood of Dvorak’s earlier folk-inspired music. In the piece, Dvorak pursued his most ambitious score to date, striving to accommodate his own personal grief and a desire to endorse a budding Czech nationalism. As before, Maestro Bernard handles it with an easy yet energetic commitment, the music dancing in lithe, flowing rhythms throughout while projecting a strong case for the symphony’s poignancy and pathos.
Finally, we have Dvorak’s crowning achievement, the Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95, subtitled “From the New World,” which he wrote in 1893. Many listeners over the years have heard instances of American accents in the music, when in fact Dvorak said most of it was entirely original. The "New World" business only came about because Dvorak happened to be living in New York at the time he wrote it. While to some small degree local American tunes may have inspired the composer, the music is clearly Czech in flavor.
Maestro Bernard takes his time with the symphony’s first movement, calculating each note, each phrase, each pause, and each dynamic contrast for maximum effect. The first movement in particular comes through with dramatic clarity and impact, a shining example of what can be done with a little creativity and determination. The second movement Largo suffers only minor cost from this approach, losing a little something in overall wistfulness. Then, too, the movement might have benefited from a richer string section. I dunno. The Scherzo zips along splendidly, the rhythms pulsating with energy. Dvorak marked the final movement Allegro con fuoco (“Quick, lively, and fiery”), a direction the conductor carries out with diligence. It caps another invigorating reading from Bernard.
Recording engineers Joel Watts, Asaf Blasberg, and Gunnar Gillberg recorded the symphonies at the DiMenna Center for the Performing Arts, New York City in May 2019. As with previous Recursive Classics recordings I’ve heard, this one is exceptionally smooth. It’s perhaps a tad too softly focused for some audiophile tastes, but it’s certainly easy on the ears while still providing detail, space, air, ambience, and dynamics. On a final note, I should add that the volume output appears slightly lower than one finds with most other recordings; therefore; you may have to turn it up a bit for best results.
JJP
To listen to a brief excerpt from this album, click below:
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