COMPOSERS: Smetana
LABELS: DG Classikon
WORKS: Má vlast (excerpts); Dances from ‘The Bartered Bride’
PERFORMER: Boston SO/RafaelKubelík; Berlin PO/Herbert von Karajan
CATALOGUE NO: 439 451-2 ADD (1971/72)
It might have been nicer to have had a complete Má vlast from Kubelík, rather than just three out of the six symphonic poems and the dances from Smetana’s most famous opera. Carping aside, these performances are certainly vivid. The Boston Symphony’s response to Smetana’s ardour is at times a touch artificial, though preferable to the tubby, Germanic manner of Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic in the dances from The Bartered Bride. Jan Smaczny
Smetana: Má vlast (excerpts); Dances from 'The Bartered Bride'
It might have been nicer to have had a complete Má vlast from Kubelík, rather than just three out of the six symphonic poems and the dances from Smetana’s most famous opera. Carping aside, these performances are certainly vivid. The Boston Symphony’s response to Smetana’s ardour is at times a touch artificial, though preferable to the tubby, Germanic manner of Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic in the dances from The Bartered Bride. Jan Smaczny
Our rating
3
Published: January 20, 2012 at 2:33 pm