Dvořák: Violin & Piano Concertos (CD Review)

by Karl Nehring

Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 53, B 108; Piano Concerto in G minor, Op. 33, B. 63. Ruggiero Ricci, violin; Rudolf Firkušný, piano; St. Louis Symphony Orchestra; Walter Susskind, conductor. Vox Audiophile Edition VOX-NX-3035CD

Naxos has obtained the rights to the original master tapes that Elite Recordings made for the Vox label decades ago (many music lovers no doubt remember Vox, who produced many excellent budget recordings that provided a gateway into the world of classical music for those of us with limited means). Appearing on the back cover of these new “Vox Audiophile Edition” versions is a highlighted statement affirming that “The Elite recordings for Vox legendary producers Marc Aubort and Joanna Nickrenz are considered by audiophiles to be among the finest sounding orchestral recordings.” For these reissues, Naxos engineers have taken those tapes from the vaults and carefully prepared these CDs for release, the end product of their labors being what they describe as “new192 kHz / 24-bit high definition transfers of the original Elite Recordings analogue master tapes.” Of course, all that work would not mean much if the Dvořák concert performances captured by Aubort and Nickrenz were no great shakes to begin with; however, these recordings by Maestro Susskind (1913-1980) and the SLSO featuring violinist Ruggiero Ricci and pianist Rudolf Firkušný were excellent when they were released and they are excellent now. 

 

Neither concerto really seems to get as much credit or attention as it deserves. Why this is so remains a mystery, for anyone who takes the time to give this recording a serious audition could not help but be thoroughly impressed by both compositions. For whatever reason – and I will confess this is true even in my own case – most of us music lovers get exposed to Dvořák’s magnificent Cello Concerto, fall in love with it, but then never move on to explore either his Violin Concerto or his Piano Concerto.  Moreover, recordings by conductors such as the late Prague-borb Walter Susskind (1913-1980) tend to get overlooked these days in favor of those led by conductors, both living and dead, whose names and likenesses are being pushed hard by the giant labels. Maestro Susskind served as Music Director of the SLSO from 1968 to 1975, making some excellent recordings with them for Vox. 

 

The late American violinist Ruggiero Ricci (1918-2012) recorded the concerto with Susskind and the SLSO in August, 1974. The work is lively, melodic, and flowing, similar in overall form and quality to the more celebrated concerto of Brahms. As the liner notes point out: “Not surprisingly, in light of Dvořák’s newly developed but deeply sincere friendship and admiration for Brahms, the latter’s influence is as prominent in the Violin Concerto as the flavour of Czech folk music, though neither of these elements in any way diminishes the striking originality and individuality which stamp the work as no one but Dvořák’s.” The concerto was a specialty of Ricci’s; he performed it numerous times in concerts worldwide and had made a previous recording with Sir Malcolm Sargent and the London Symphony Orchestra. His familiarity with and affection for the work come through in this beautiful performance, which should go far to win converts to this overlooked masterpiece.

 

The Piano Concerto is pleasant and entertaining, if not quite in the same exalted class as the Violin Concerto. The Moravian-American pianist Rudolf Firkušný (1912-1994) was especially fond of the piece and like Ricci with the Violin Concerto, Firkušný often played it in in concert and recorded it several times (with Kubelik, Simogyi, and Neumann in addition to this 1975 effort with Susskind). It is not a virtuoso display piece; instead, it is a melodic essay for piano and orchestra in which they seem to work together, rather than a work in which the piano dazzles while the orchestra is mainly there to provide support. Still, it is an entertaining concerto that deserves a wider audience.

 

If you have not really become acquainted with either or both compositions by Dvořák, this expertly performed and excellently engineered release would be an excellent place to start. Kudos to Naxos for digging into the vault and pulling out this gem to restore for us.