Search - Antonin Dvorak, Neville Marriner, Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields :: Dvorak: Serenades Op. 22 & 44

Classic(al) Dvorak

Ian George Fraser | Brazil | 08/07/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Marriner and the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields made their name principally in the 80s and 90s for their no-nonsense, back-to-basics performances of 18th century music.Gone would be all the trappings of 19th century romanticism, strict tempi, little if any vibrato, no slush. Even now they are one of the few ensembles who devoted themselves mainly to music for the Chamber orchestra, but surely this approach would never work with pieces by the mainstream romantics, in particular Dvorak's nostalgic, even sentimental, Serenade for Strings?



This performance is breath of pure Bohemian fresh air. If I may draw an analogy, it is like seeing an old master you have long admired but felt rather in awe of, stripped of its old varnish, despoiled of its centuries of dust and grime and for the first time revealed as a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PAINTING. Sure, the nostalgia is still there but gone, miraculously, is the sentimentality. Marriner takes Dvorak back, to where I am sure he would have been very happy to go, to his country roots and this performance is an utter delight. A side effect of underplaying the emotionality is that the final movement becomes unbelieveably dramatic and the reintroduction of the opening theme is well, if you'd empahasised it more, it would have worked so much less. Even if you're used to a much "richer" playing style, you can't help but love this performance.



The second piece on this disc, the Op.44 for Winds for me came as a pure bonus, never having heard it before. It's a great listen, a real wind band feel, summer nights in the country 150 years ago....Go for it."

5 stars for the Strings Serenade & 4 stars for the Winds

Bohemian Boy | Plainfield, Illinois United States | 05/29/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Dvorak is one of my favorite composers and his Serenade for Strings in E is one of my all-time favorites. It is superbly played on this CD. The Wind Serenade is played pretty well too..."

Splendid performances of these endearing works

G.D. | Norway | 01/16/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"An obvious and very welcome coupling, this one, and the ASMF deliver thoroughly spirited and convincing accounts of these immensely attractive, tuneful works. The string serenade is played with commitment and affection (in addition to technical perfection), and flows along gently, but not without spirit, in its wistfully atmospheric mixture of faery lights and half-forgotten memories. Particularly effective is the fine balance and interplay between the various sections achieved, with steady warm bass playing. The wind serenade is breezy and sunny but not without a dramatic streak; it is also superbly performed, with some fabulous, light and airy and delicate wind playing (I certainly don't hear the sour tones other reviewers claim to have heard).



The sound quality is clear and opulent in the string serenade, and with a fine sense of perspective. In the wind serenade, however, the recording is perhaps a little too rich and open. Nevertheless, this is an almost achingly beautiful release of unabashedly bittersweet, innocent and memorable music, strongly recommended."