Search - Antonin Dvorak, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra :: Dvorak: Symphony No. 8; The Noon Witch

Dvorak afresh - how could one expect differently....

H. W. A. Leeuwen | Voorschoten, Netherlands | 01/10/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"From the firts note of the opening to the last of the finale, the audience in the Amsterdam concertgebouw was completely captivated by Harnoncourts vision on Dvorak music. A shattering applause burst loose over the performers afterwards, indicating that a true form of musical communication had been established between audience and performers. As no other, Harnoncourt is an ideal guide in this music. The thorough understanding that he seems to have on how to create and hold tension, building it piece by piece from beginning to end is absolutely unique. Under his direction the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, one of the finest in the world, was pushed to a musical extreme. The recording is superbly handled by Teldec, and I found that in the living room the raw emotions came back full force. A definite must for those that would like to (re)discover Dvorak, and a definite must for those who have scoffed Dvorak as a second-rate composer. Harnoncourt proves the contrary."

Burnished gold--the best modern Dvorak Eighth?

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 01/16/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I find myself giving unstinted praise to almost every note of Dvorak played by the Royal Concergebouw uner Harnoncourt. They sound incredibly warm and natural, especialy in this excellent recording form Teldec in 1998. Unlike most conductors Harnoncourt doesn't take this music for granted, and he is careful, as always, to invent his onw style for it. In this case the style is classical and refined; nothing breaks out into brassy noise or Czech folksiness.



These virtues sound like they could lead to emotional aridity, but Dvorak is already so open and easy that it's refreshing to hear him braced with some classicism. At bottom it's not any external quality that makes Harnoncourt's Dvorak outstanding but his instinct for melodic line, which here is unerring despite the relaxed pace in the first and last movements. I've never joined the ciritcal stampede to praise Szell's unyielding, brusque way with Dvorak, so it's a relief to find a world-class conductor being so heartfelt in this music.



In all, everything fits so well together that I'd rate this the best modern Dvorak Eighth I've ever heard. The tone poem that serves as a filer, The Noon Witch, is splenidly done, too. At oer 13 min. it's not just an afterthought but a major installment in Dvorak's cycle taken from Czech folk tales."

A definitive Dvorak 8th Symphony

John Kwok | New York, NY USA | 01/20/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Much to my surprise, Nikolaus Harnoncourt is proving to be as adept in conducting the works of great late 19th Century composers such as Dvorak as he is with Bach, Mozart and Beethoven. This [is] one of the freshest, most vivid accounts of Dvorak's 8th Symphony that I've heard. The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra provides a rousing, stirring performance. As usual, Teldec's sound engineers ensure that the sound is superbly well-balanced; no orchestral section is emphasized at the expense of another. I loved Sir Colin Davis' version of this symphony with the same orchestra that Phillips recorded a long time ago, but Harnoncourt's version is far superior."