It is good to welcome from Supraphon a newgeneration recording of Dvorak by the Czech Philharmonic under its Principal Conductor, Jiri Belohlavek. As we heard last autumn in the orchestra's series at the Barbican, he is a most sympathetic Dvorakian, less severe than his predecessor, Vaclav Neumann. He is here consistently warmer, drawing a spontaneous-sounding performance from the players, with free expressiveness always sounding idiomatic. It is striking that though these musicians must spend even more of their time playing this most popular of Czech symphonies than their non-Czech counterparts, they perform it with rare freshness, consistently persuasive in an interpretation based on speeds ideally chosen, never eccentric.
The quality of the Czech performance, its central rightness, its natural feeling for colour and drama, comes out the more next to Eschenbach's reading with the Houston orchestra. His is a strong, often thoughtful account, played and recorded with refinement, but next to the Czechs' it frequently sounds self-conscious and over-prepared, even though one can hardly accuse it of being mannered, except perhaps in the slow movement, where Eschenbach's idea of largo is very slow indeed. That helps to bring out the refined beauty of the Houston string tone, and generally ensemble is excellent, but I wish that Virgin had opted to show off this under-appreciated orchestra in music less frequently recorded than the New World. Eschenbach's performance of Francesca da Rimini has similar qualities to those in the symphony. With clean textures and ensemble, with rhythms crisply resilient and with the brass section gloriously ripe, it is a refreshing performance which yet lacks something of Tchaikovskian passion. It makes a generous fill-up, when with slower speeds and the exposition repeat observed in the first movement, playing-time is markedly longer than on Belohlavek disc.
In the Czech manner, relying on a note the composer wrote on one of his scores, the Supraphon performance omits that repeat. Though I prefer to have the repeat, since it makes for a better balance between movements, it is certainly a valid view. The fill-up is hardly generous, but it makes sense to have Dvorak's most popular overture with his most popular symphony, particularly when this is as jolly and exuberant a performance as I can remember. The Supraphon sound, full-bodied and well-spread but with an edge at the top, is not so opulent as some, but it is much more apt for the music than the more diffused Virgin recording. After this and the Barbican concerts, I would welcome a Belohlavek Dvorak series.
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