COMPOSERS: Suk/Dvorak
LABELS: Carlton
WORKS: Symphony in E; Symphonic Variations
PERFORMER: Philharmonia Hungarica, Israel Pro Musica Orchestra/ Dalia Atlas
CATALOGUE NO: IMP 30367 00802 DDD (1994)
Suk’s early E major symphony packs nothing like the emotional punch of his Asrael Symphony but it is an appealing work, rich in the composer’s characteristic bitter-sweet melody. Its failings come in some over-emphatic climaxes. Dalia Atlas’s interpretation reflects both these features of the work; she is most successful in the understated lyric passages, but fails to moderate the heavy-handed portions. Despite some slightly misjudged tempi, her performance of Dvorák’s Symphonic Variations is infectious and more completely satisfying. Neither of the orchestras recorded plays with glossy unanimity, but they share their conductor’s instinct for this music. Jan Smaczny
Suk/Dvorak
Suk’s early E major symphony packs nothing like the emotional punch of his Asrael Symphony but it is an appealing work, rich in the composer’s characteristic bitter-sweet melody. Its failings come in some over-emphatic climaxes. Dalia Atlas’s interpretation reflects both these features of the work; she is most successful in the understated lyric passages, but fails to moderate the heavy-handed portions. Despite some slightly misjudged tempi, her performance of Dvorák’s Symphonic Variations is infectious and more completely satisfying.
Our rating
3
Published: January 20, 2012 at 3:08 pm