Search - Bedrich Smetana, Rafael Kubelik, Boston Symphony Orchestra :: Smetana: Má vlast

Virginia S. from OVIEDO, FL
Reviewed on 11/27/2011...

This was one of my favorite albums in college nearly 40 years ago in LP form and I remembered it so well that I reordered it in this swap. Wonderful program music -- Smetana is so inspiring.

Kubelik does it again, along with my home-town orchestra

Thomas B Dawkins | 03/05/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Kubelik's style is probably best suited to the music of Dvorak and Smetana, which he is most famous for, although he really does a number on Mahler as well. This cycle is no exception. Everyone probably recognizes the second movement "Vltava (Die Moldau)" but the rest of the work bears listening to as well! From the opening harp cadenza of Vysehrad, the first movement is powerful (yes, powerful harp!) and dark. As Smetana's program states, the castle emerges slowly from the fog. The Moldau flows broadly onwards through a restatement of the Vysehrad-motiv, although the restatement is a little rushed. Sarka is cunning and even menacing, and From Bohemia's Woods and Fields is appropriately pastoral. Tabor and Blanik, the least known of the cycle, are just as effective as the others. Kubelik most likely did extensive research on these, possibly even visiting some of the settings, and it shows through very positively. The Boston Symphony is a favorite of mine (I wonder why...) and to get an American orchestra to play with as much European flair as it does is no easy task."

Kubelik and the Boston SO - 5 Stars - DG - 1 Star = 3 Stars

R. Lane | Tracy, CA USA | 11/21/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Rafael Kubelik has made Ma Vlast one of his staples throughout his career. In the studio he made at 5 recordings. The first was in mono with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for Mercury. In many respects, that recording is still the standard by which all others should be judged. Kubelik's interpretation and the superior Chicago forces make that one of the most compelling recordings of Czech music ever made; when you count some pretty awesome recordings by conductors like Karl Ancerl and Vaclav Talich, that's saying a lot.



The next recording was with the Vienna Philharmonic for Decca in stereo in 1959. That recording has been issued on CD several times, most recently in teh Eloquence series. But the production is marred with poor mastering and editing. Having in recent years heard Kubelik's Dvorak Slavonic Dances with the VPO on Decca from the same era (see Amazon ASIN # B00005N570, try Amazon.co.uk if it is not availabe any longer at Amazon.com), I am more anxious than ever for that recording to be remastered properly. Do you hear me Universal?



This recording, with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, was made in 1971. Another recording was made with Bavarian forces for Orfeo in 1985, and again for Supraphon with the Czech Philharmonic in 1990.



The present recording has some qualities that make it very welcome. Most notable is the unique resonance of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, one that is very appropriate for Smetana's masterpiece. The BSO has a restrained tonal quality, particularly the horn section, that lends itself very well to expressing the tender flowing melodies that are resplendant throughout Ma Vlast. And they can come alive, such as in movement V, Tabor, if not quite with the overwhelming authority that the Chicago forces are so well known for. While the effect may not be as effective and powerful as the Chicago reading, the sound and impact are actually more close to what the composer was after.



The disappointment with the current issue is the sound quality. Very muddy, more so than the original LPs. I remember when this Galleria issue came out. The local store where I lived only had one copy. I recommeded it to a friend, who had heard my LPs of it previously. We were disgusted with teh Galleria issue. I never bought it. For years I used the Paavo Berglund disk as my lone CD copy of Ma Vlast.



There is hope, though. For those of you who are very fond of this reading, as I am, there is a 2 CD edition of this same recording available coupled with Kubelik's excellent Bavarian RSO reccordings of Richard III op 11, Wallenstein's Camp op 14, Haon Jari op 16, and Prague Carnival. Excerpts from The Bartered Bride with VPO under Levine rounds out the collection. And, DG used their latest remastering techniques on the BSO Ma Vlast to great effect. Sadly, that issue never made it to the USA, but it is available from Amazon.co.uk with ASIN # B000024577). If you love this reading, which I certainly do, you owe it to yourself to check out the 2CD version. I picked up a copy in the HMV store in Philadelphia in 1998 while vacationing there. It is now a demonstration disk in my collection. The soudstage is wildly 3 dimensional, the strings vibrant, the percussion alive. What an awesome transformation!





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