Dvorak - Symphony No. 7; The Golden Spinning Wheel

Antonín DVORAK (1841-1904)

Symphony No. 7 in D minor, Op. 70

The Golden Spinning Wheel (Zlatý kolovrat), Op. 109, B. 197

Royal Scottish National Orchestra

Neeme Jarvi

...I suspect collectors will be more interested by the disc containing the Symphony #7 and The Golden Spinning Wheel. By and large, the major labels – EMI and Simon Rattle excepted – continue to ignore Dvořák's tone poems as if they have some kind of disease. Like the concert overtures, they are simply excellent music. They are also substantial; The Golden Spinning Wheel lasts nearly a half hour. Working backwards then, the tone poem sounds utterly magnificent here. Järvi was always at his best in brash and colorful music. He and his Scottish National forces really tell an effective story, aided by excellent sound quality. Kudos to longtime Leader Edwin Paling and the various wind soloists for their superlative work.

In the Symphony, listeners might raise an eyebrow at the very weighty sounds on display. I also reviewed another, more recent Dvořák #7 with Mackerras on Signum (SIGCD183), and I suspect that is what most collectors are accustomed to. However, a leading critic on another website pointed out that this is a valid approach direct from the Czech school of conducting. I actually like it a lot, and it's very cool to hear a Scottish orchestra really dig in and play their hearts out. This dark and heavy way with the music is basically the opposite of Mackerras, but no less interesting for that. Whether you enjoy it or not will depend entirely on how you like your Dvořák to sound. The conductor certainly knows what he's doing, and the climaxes are extremely exciting. Would less weight have allowed a touch more detail to emerge? Possibly, but this remains one of the more personal performances in the Järvi cycle. If you're in the market for some Dvořák, these will be worth the effort to seek out.

Brian Wigman (Classics Today)