Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Nathalie Stutzmann, conductor.
Antonín DVOŘÁK: Suite in A, Op. 98, “American”
Antonín DVOŘÁK: Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95, “From the New World”
Label: Erato
UPC: 5021732263797
Formats: CD, vinyl, digital
Release Date: August 30, 2024
Total Duration: 63:31
Giorgio Koukl | 4 SEP 2024
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of its music director Nathalie Stutzman, has recorded an all-Dvořák CD containing two of the most-performed works of the Czech composer: the Suite in A, Op. 98, and the Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95. Both works have been recorded numerous times by names like Rafael Kubelik, Herbert von Karajan, and Leonard Bernstein, just to cite the most iconic. So, recording this program as a debut album with the ASO means skating on a very thin ice for Ms. Stutzmann.
cover art (click to enlarge)
Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 “From the New World,” popularly known as the “New World Symphony,” is one of his most celebrated works. Composed during his time in the United States (1892-1895), Dvořák was influenced by the musical traditions he encountered there, including African-American spirituals, Native American music, and American folk melodies.
However, the symphony also retains a distinctly European character, reflecting Dvořák’s Bohemian roots. One of the primary influences on the symphony was the African-American spirituals. Dvořák was particularly impressed by the rich emotional quality and the melodic strength of these songs.
His assistant, Harry T. Burleigh, an African-American composer and baritone, often sang spirituals for Dvořák, significantly influencing the thematic material of the symphony. For instance, the famous Largo movement is often associated with the spiritual “Goin’ Home,” although the melody was actually composed by Dvořák himself, it evokes the style and sentiment of spirituals.
Dvořák was also interested in Native American music. Although he did not directly quote any Native American melodies, he incorporated what he perceived to be the characteristics of this music into his symphony. The third movement, Scherzo, for example, is said to have been inspired by the scene of “Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast” from Longfellow’s The Song of Hiawatha, which Dvořák was reading during this period.
While in America, Dvořák encouraged the development of a national American style of music, which he believed should be built upon the native music of the land. The New World Symphony is often seen as an embodiment of this idea, with its themes and rhythms reflecting the folk music of America, though filtered through Dvořák’s European sensibility.
Despite its American inspirations, the symphony is deeply rooted in Dvořák’s Bohemian heritage. The rhythms, structures, and harmonic language of the symphony reflect his Central European background. For instance, the rhythm in the first movement resembles the furiant, a traditional Bohemian dance.
It seems to me essential to underline the actual state of research about the themes of this symphony, as in the album’s booklet, Ms. Stutzmann is contesting this and argues that the well-known themes are, in reality, Czech folk songs—a really absurd idea.
It has to be said right from the beginning that the ASO is an impressive orchestra; its sound is lavish and awesome, and it would be easy to imagine such a recording perfectly in line with the best.
The problem is the sometimes weird choice of tempi, going from extremely quick to not-so-well-chosen accelerandi. This work is well known among the conductors as having various extremely difficult transitions. Let us take the first movement “Adagio-Allegro molto.” There is only a very small difference between producing a musically convincing passage to a new tempo and producing an unnatural aberration.
It is stated that this is a live recording,* but certainly, some corrections were made. Why many rhythmical imprecisions were not rectified is beyond comprehension. This is so hugely disturbing that the listener cannot really concentrate on the otherwise acceptable flow of the music.
The phrasing is just another issue. There are big surfaces that are really well played, but then sometimes weird rhythmical malformations transform the musical idea into something completely different with no apparent link to the precedent material. The steadiness of the beat is also not very exemplary.
The Suite in A, Op. 98 (“American”) with its five movements (“Andante con moto,” “Allegro,” “Moderato alla polacca,” “Andante,” and “Allegro”) is definitely better. Here, the coherence of the score is more evident, probably because the score is far simpler.
That said, the orchestra must be lauded for its beautiful sound; especially from the point of view of a European listener, the brass section is simply gorgeous. ■
[* Ed. note: The recording is based on recording of three live concert performances of November 9, 10 & 11, 2023. There was also a short “patch” session that took place after the Nov. 11 concert.]
EXTERNAL LINKS:
- Atlanta Symphony Orchestra: aso.org
Read more by Giorgio Koukl.
