Antonin Dvorak, Prague Symphony Orchestra, Prague Symphonic Choir - Sacred Music

Published Monday 18th July 2011
Antonin Dvorak, Prague Symphony Orchestra, Prague Symphonic Choir - Sacred Music
Antonin Dvorak, Prague Symphony Orchestra, Prague Symphonic Choir  - Sacred Music
DVD

STYLE: Choral
RATING 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 117129-
LABEL: ArtHaus Musik 107512
FORMAT: DVD Music video
ITEMS: 3

Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

The works of the quintessentially Czech composer Antonín Dvorvák (1841-1904) are, above all, enjoyable and perennial favourites of the classical and romantic repertoire. In this three disc boxed set we have three concerts performed by the Prague Symphony Orchestra And Chorus and the Prague Philharmonic Choir, with three leading Czech conductors on the podium: Petr Altrichter, Jirví Bevlohlávek and Libor Pe¨ek. The fact that they were recorded in 1993 makes me wonder whether they have been released before but my research has been unable to find any conclusive evidence. If you have an extensive Dvorvák collection it would be worth double checking before buying just in case you already have what is on offer on a different label. Chances are if you do collect Dvorvák you will have some of this music as they are popular pieces (and rightly so): "Stabat Mater" (Opus 58), "Requiem" (Opus 89), and "Te Deum" (Opus 103). You may not have "Biblical Songs" (Opus 99) as they are not so often recorded and the bonus track of the "Violin Concerto in A minor" (Opus 103) is probably of less interest. So that is more than four hours of Dvorvák spread across three DVDs at a fair price and is probably too much for the casual listener. Visually this shows its age. There is a reasonable variety of camera angles but there is only so much visual interest that can be brought to bear in a concert hall and although all three conductors are more than competent none have the charisma of a, say, Simon Rattle who can dominate the screen and demand our attention. And I know it is a silly thing to pick up on - but did people really wear such huge spectacles back in the 1990's? To conclude, I can see myself listening to these recordings again but I doubt if I will watch them unless I want to follow the subtitles to gain a deeper understanding of what Dvorvák is doing.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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