Dvorák The Spectre's Bride
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Antonín Dvořák
Label: Supraphon
Magazine Review Date: 12/1996
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 78
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: SU3091-2
Tracks:
| Composition | Artist Credit |
|---|---|
| (The) Spectre's Bride |
Antonín Dvořák, Composer
Antonín Dvořák, Composer Eva Urbanová, Soprano Iván Kusnjer, Baritone Jirí Belohlávek, Conductor Ludovít Ludha, Tenor Prague Philharmonic Choir Prague Symphony Orchestra |
Author: John Warrack
What in the English-speaking world has always been known as The Spectre’s Bride was one of the great successes of the 1885 Birmingham Festival, and the work travelled quickly to Australia and America. Victorian England was captivated by the tale (popular in ballad form over much of Europe) of the long-absent lover returning to his bride and leading her through the night to what proves to be her grave: he is in fact the spectre of the title, and she is saved from her grisly fate only by prayer. It is not one of Dvorak’s strongest works, though it contains some excellent music and retains a hold on the repertory in Czechoslovakia and the Slovak Republic.
The record situation is unsatisfactory. The present recording is poor, with the soloists coming in and out of focus and the chorus often indistinct (which is the more surprising as the recording director, Pavel Kuhn, is also the chorus master). A previous recording was also made live, under Gerd Albrecht in Hamburg in 1991, but the chorus are again indistinct and the soloists are more tentative than the present ones. The strongest performance at present on record is the old Jaroslav Krombholc version originally made in 1964, with Beno Blachut and Drahomira Tikalova on splendid form; but there the sound, though reasonably fair to all concerned, is not distinguished. Moreover, the reissue extends the work over two discs, finding room for Novak’s The Storm, an interesting piece but not perhaps what Dvorak collectors will want to pay the extra for. No simple answers here.'
The record situation is unsatisfactory. The present recording is poor, with the soloists coming in and out of focus and the chorus often indistinct (which is the more surprising as the recording director, Pavel Kuhn, is also the chorus master). A previous recording was also made live, under Gerd Albrecht in Hamburg in 1991, but the chorus are again indistinct and the soloists are more tentative than the present ones. The strongest performance at present on record is the old Jaroslav Krombholc version originally made in 1964, with Beno Blachut and Drahomira Tikalova on splendid form; but there the sound, though reasonably fair to all concerned, is not distinguished. Moreover, the reissue extends the work over two discs, finding room for Novak’s The Storm, an interesting piece but not perhaps what Dvorak collectors will want to pay the extra for. No simple answers here.'
Dvorák The Spectre's Bride
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