A performance of perfect poise
Charles Mackerras (conductor)
Prague Symphony Orchestra Supraphon SU38482 Excellent recordings of Dvo ák’s Eighth are not in short supply. Václav Talich’s pioneering 1935 recording is essential listening, now beautifully restored on the Koch label. It remained the benchmark for many years, a testament to the unique quality of the pre-war Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. As part of complete sets of the nine symphonies, meanwhile, István Kertész (see above right) and Witold Rowicki’s recordings with the LSO in the 1960s and ’70s (Decca and Philips) are both memorable achievements.
Also with the LSO is Antal Doráti’s blistering 1959 account (Mercury Living Presence) – a thrilling if uncomfortable ride – as is the second of Colin Davis’s two very fine recordings (LSO Live, 1999); his first, from 1978, is with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (Philips) . For a combination of fine recorded sound and performance, Iván Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra (Channel Classics) is also a firm recommendation.
If you are one of those fortunate to own Karel An erl’s currently unavailable live 1970 Concertgebouw recording you have already struck gold. However, there is gold aplenty to be discovered in Charles Mackerras’s equally inspired realisation of Dvo ák’s score. Like An erl and Rafael
Kubelík, Mackerras learned much of his craft at the feet of Václav Talich, and no other non-czech musician has done more to raise the international profile of Czech music – his championship of the operas of Janá ek is legendary. It’s all the more puzzling, therefore, why he recorded only four of the Dvo ák symphonies, and not a complete set.
Of all the recordings of the Eighth that I’ve heard, it is this live one from 2005 which manages to achieve the ideal balance of sunshine and darkness. It’s a characteristic of Czech music that joy and sadness go hand in hand, and it’s
Mackerras manages to achieve the ideal balance of sunshine and darkness
that which is perfectly delivered here in a performance that is also beautifully paced and phrased. All the players of the Prague Symphony Orchestra cover themselves in glory, but it is the distinctive voices of the orchestra’s wind section which are a special delight.
Mackerras and his Czech pals know how to party, too – the final mad rush to the finish, with its whooping high horns, is exhilaration itself, no doubt bringing the Prague audience to its feet. Sound quality is typical of the Supraphon label’s best, offering a believable concert hall perspective and a warm ambient glow.