Dvorak: Symphonic Poems

Having died 15 July 2010, American-born and Australian-raised Charles Mackerras will no doubt go down as one of Austraila's greatest conductors, perhaps its greatest ever. His expertise as a master Dvorak interpreter -- as if there were any doubts about it -- was established in platinum when he released Rusalka a decade ago to great acclaim Dvorák: Rusalka. The opera was the recording of he year in some places. Mackerras has steadily built a reputation in Dvoark and carries it through with this 2010 release of the composer's irregularly recorded tone poems on Czech legends.

Dvorak wrote the four pieces on this recording during 1895-96. They are based on the folkloric poetry of Karel Erben. Each of the four musical portraits expresses Erben's poetry on subjects akin to Grimm's fairy tales, usually where an evil spirit does some injustice to a child or family. In the Water Goblin, for example, the middle part of the tone poems has a girl walking on a bridge that collapses and she is caputured by the goblin, who later murders a baby.

Mackerras recorded the four tone poems over the decade of the 2000s, first recording The Golden Spinning Wheel in concert in 2001 Dvorak - Sym 6 / Golden Spinning Wheel and adding the others here. This is the first recording of all four together. His 25-plus minute reading os The Golden Spinning Wheel is magical with spectacular playing and sound. All selections benefit from top of the line sound and the conductor's idiomatic understanding of the composer.

Mackerras weaves together a 79-plus minute concert that enabled Supraphon to release these on a single disk and compete with the better stereo single disk choices in this repertoire by Neumann. Buyers wanting a multi-disk collection can acquire these in more opulent recordings by Harnoncourt and Kubelik's collectionHistory buffs can turn to Vaclav Talich, the dean of modern Czech conductors, whose legendary readings are still treasured in many quarters

My personal choice in this ouevre is Harnoncourt, whose collaboration with the Concertgebouw Orchestra resulted in one of this best recordings. With generally slower pacing throughout, Harnoncourt generated more of the angst available in the poetic legends than Mackerras, whose pace, while faster than Harnoncourt, is still never rushed. Mackerras benefits from world class recorded sound, the authentic playing and understanding of the Czech Republic's best orchestra, and a package that includes 10 pages of interesting notes and bios in three languages. While expensive, this is a good package that will probably show up on some "best of 2010" lists at the end of the year.

Since this will be one of his last great new recordings, it is appropriate to lionize the now-departed maestro. For that reason, here are some other recordings by Mr. Mackerras I've enjoyed over the years:
-- Arriaga/Vorisek: Symphony.
-- Mozart - Symphonies Nos 29, 31 (Paris), 32, 35 (Haffner) & 36 (Linz) [Hybrid SACD - plays on all CD players].
-- Haydn: Symphonies 31 & 45.
Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 9 & 25.
-- Rimsky-Korsakov - Scheherazade; Capriccio espagnole.
-- Suk: Fantastic Scherzo/A Summer's Tale.
-- Mozart - Don Giovanni - highlights.
-- Janacek: Jenufa.
-- Gilbert & Sullivan: Operettas /Charles Mackerras /5CD BOX SET.
-- Mahler Symphony No. 6/BBC Philharmonic/BBC Music Magazine Vol. 13 No. 7/June 2005.

This has been criticised as bland or under-characterized.
A shame because Mackerras was a great champion of Czech music. As recordings, however, they were conceived as 'fill-ups' to the symphonies!

But if you want the raw truth of these pieces you have to return to 1960 and get the Chalabala set on historic mid-price Supraphon. You'll never regret it. The woodwinds are incredibly rustic and you will believe that you are fortuitously transported back almost to the music-making of Dvorak's time - yet blessed with clear stereo from the fabulous Prague recording venue. The great Sir Charles Mackerras is, sadly, an also-ran in this competition. But then - everybody is!

It's my frist recording by Supraphon and the sound quality is great! I think that these tone poems are masterpieces. This recording is better than S.Rattle's.