- DVD Audio (27 Mar 2006)
- Please Note: This is a DVD-Audio disc which is playable on most DVD players as well as all DVD-Audio players.
- SPARS Code: DDD
- Number of Discs: 1
- Format: DVD Audio, PAL
- Label: CLASSICAL
- ASIN: B000059ZHF
- Other Editions: Audio CD | MP3 Download
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 258,699 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Product details |
Track Listings
| 1. "Dvorak : Symphony No.9 in E minor Op.95, 'From the New World' : I Adagio - Allegro molto" |
| 2. "Dvorak : Symphony No.9 in E minor Op.95, 'From the New World' : II Largo" |
| 3. "Dvorak : Symphony No.9 in E minor Op.95, 'From the New World' : III Scherzo - Molto vivace" |
| 4. "Dvorak : Symphony No.9 in E minor Op.95, 'From the New World' : IV Allegro con fuoco" |
| 5. Dvorak : The Water Goblin Op.107 |
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Amsterdam's Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra well and truly hit the jackpot with their marvellous Teldec account of Dvorák's eighth symphony. Happily, the present New World (like the eighth, the excellent engineering emanates from a live concert) is just as cherishable, as electrifyingly intense, sublimely articulate and probing an interpretation of this indestructible war-horse as has appeared in many a long moon. Time and again, Harnoncourt has you gasping anew at the wondrous melodic freshness and astounding textural subtlety of Dvorák's inspiration: he really does have the special gift of making you feel you're hearing this music for the very first time. The slow movement is specially affecting, the great cor anglais melody delivered with the utmost simplicity, while the scherzo ideally combines rhythmic buoyancy with affectionate warmth. Best of all, both outer movements are invested with an towering symphonic majesty that sweeps all before it. The performance of the 1896 tone-poem The Water Goblin is comparably distinguished, a vividly dramatic and grippingly atmospheric display, featuring (once again) some magnificent playing from the great Dutch orchestra. A most exciting release.--Andrew Achenbach
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD Audio
I had high hopes for this recordings. The main work is one of my favourite symphonies and Harnonocourt is one of the most respected conductors in the world, and is here conducting one of the finest orchestras.
Upon hearing it, it became clear that it easily lives up to my expectations. This much recorded masterpiece sounds fresh in his hands. This is the work of a conductor who has thought deeply about the score and he brings it to wonderful life. He has the measure of the whole thing and all four movements are just spot on, in particular he has the measure of the finale in all its moods. And the cor anglais solo in the largo is most affecting. It is a live recording, but the audience are thankfully unobtrusive throughout.
And The Water Goblin is no mere makeweight. Once again it is a searching performance that brings new light onto the work. It is a studio recording.
The sound quality of this DVD is impeccible. The surround sound adding punch and presence to the music in a way that stereo never could.
The only extra is a short historical timeline. It doesn't add much.
This is a disc I would recommend to all music lovers. For Dvorak fans it is almost worth buying a DVD Audio surround system just to hear this recording in all its surround sound glory.
Good quality, classical DVD Audio discs are still a bit thin on the ground, but hopefully that situation will change as more are released.
All in all an excellent release that goes someway towards justifying the new format.
10 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This new CD has been attracting rave reviews elsewhere, and having now heard it for myself I can understand why.
Nikolaus Harnoncourt brings a freshness and depth to this well-performed work, giving it a beautiful, juicy, rich texture full of excitement.
Dvorak's "The Water Goblin" also receives the Harnoncourt treatment, which, again, sounds so full of vitality.
This is one CD I have enjoyed listening to several times, and, I'm sure, will continue to do so for a long time to come.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
It takes a skilled conductor to make Dvorak nostalgic and thoughtful while still being fun, but Harnoncourt meets the challenge head on. This is a beautiful reading, one that never ceases to amaze with its insight. And what orchestra could be more suited for the music than the Concertgebouw? Harnoncourt connects wonderfully with the orchestra; rarely has a conductor fit so perfectly with the Concertgebouw. In the end, as with Harnoncourt's Schubert with the same orchestra, I get the idea that Harnoncourt deserves the most credit for the success of the music, but only an orchestra of the highest rank could capture his vision. The Concertgebouw does so effortlessly.
The "New World" Symphony is so familiar that it can easily pass by without moving us. It won't be here. Harnoncourt is able to add new meaning on virtually every page. In his hands, the music sounds unburdened and imaginative. After listening to this account, I feel moved, but it's more than the fun that's moving me. It's intensely personal, maybe even private, revealing that Dvorak is about more than humor. There's a depth that is moves me to the core. I wouldn't have thought of Dvorak as a composer to move me to tears, but Harnoncourt has changed all of that.
That's not to say that this performance is all seriousness. In fact, I don't think I've ever heard this symphony sound so gloriously free. The Concertgebouw is the lightest and fleetest of orchestras, and they can maneuver through all the tosses and turns in the symphony without a trace of struggle. Harnoncourt pulls out the most miniscule of details and takes every chance he gets to treat our ears with Bohemian fun. What I think is responsible for making this recording such a winner is the combination of fun and nostalgia. I've heard conductors who have no problem revealing one of these two aspects, but the way Harnoncourt reveals both of them is staggering, surpassing my highest expectations.
The Water Goblin is anything but an afterthought. It sounds every bit as fresh as the "New World". Honestly, why don't we hear the late Dvorak tone poems more often? They sound just as interesting as the symphonies to me--in fact, they're far more dramatic and riveting. Harnoncourt displays character throughout The Water Goblin, and it's a joy to take in such an idiomatic thriller. While Harnoncourt knows how to deliver power and passion where needed, there's an intimacy that, as in his "New World", fills one with bittersweet memories.
In closing, I don't think I could ask for anything more in Dvorak. Harnoncourt has done something wonderful, and I'm going to be regularly turning back to this disc, as it has rejuvenated my love for Dvorak.
The "New World" Symphony is so familiar that it can easily pass by without moving us. It won't be here. Harnoncourt is able to add new meaning on virtually every page. In his hands, the music sounds unburdened and imaginative. After listening to this account, I feel moved, but it's more than the fun that's moving me. It's intensely personal, maybe even private, revealing that Dvorak is about more than humor. There's a depth that is moves me to the core. I wouldn't have thought of Dvorak as a composer to move me to tears, but Harnoncourt has changed all of that.
That's not to say that this performance is all seriousness. In fact, I don't think I've ever heard this symphony sound so gloriously free. The Concertgebouw is the lightest and fleetest of orchestras, and they can maneuver through all the tosses and turns in the symphony without a trace of struggle. Harnoncourt pulls out the most miniscule of details and takes every chance he gets to treat our ears with Bohemian fun. What I think is responsible for making this recording such a winner is the combination of fun and nostalgia. I've heard conductors who have no problem revealing one of these two aspects, but the way Harnoncourt reveals both of them is staggering, surpassing my highest expectations.
The Water Goblin is anything but an afterthought. It sounds every bit as fresh as the "New World". Honestly, why don't we hear the late Dvorak tone poems more often? They sound just as interesting as the symphonies to me--in fact, they're far more dramatic and riveting. Harnoncourt displays character throughout The Water Goblin, and it's a joy to take in such an idiomatic thriller. While Harnoncourt knows how to deliver power and passion where needed, there's an intimacy that, as in his "New World", fills one with bittersweet memories.
In closing, I don't think I could ask for anything more in Dvorak. Harnoncourt has done something wonderful, and I'm going to be regularly turning back to this disc, as it has rejuvenated my love for Dvorak.
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