Dvor¿¿k: Symphonies Nos. 8 & 7

by Gianandrea Noseda, Philharmonia Zuerich

Overview

These live recordings of Dvorak's Symphony No. 8 in G major, Op. 88, and Symphony No. 7 in D minor, Op. 70, were made by the Philharmonia Zuerich early in the tenure of new music director Gianandrea Noseda, who has also taken up the reins at the Zurich Opera House. In fact, the recording of the exuberant Eighth was taken from his very first performance with the group. There is no issue here of breaking anyone in, and the performances are of such high quality that one might wonder just how much better they can get. The Symphony No. 8 is especially strong. Consider the lambent string tone in the first movement and how carefully and lovingly Noseda shapes the phrases there. The finale totally avoids the squarish quality heard in so many performances, which probably prompted Brahms' critique of the work as unfocused; here, everything builds nicely toward the big dancelike theme and its blaring trombones. The Symphony No. 7 is hardly less effective; Noseda seems to draw an unspoken narrative from its dramatic shifts. None of this would have been as vivid as it is without the superb sound engineering from the Philharmonia's in-house label (which is also fairly new); there is little surplus noise of any kind, and the sound is immediate and lively. This is a major release from an orchestra that remains a bit underrated despite its illustrious history. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	01/06/2023
Label:	Philharmonia Records
UPC:	4056813399585
Rank:	175452

Tracks

1. Symphony No. 8 in G Major Op. 88~Allegro con brio
2. Symphony No. 8 in G Major Op. 88~Adagio
3. Symphony No. 8 in G Major Op. 88~Allegretto grazioso
4. Symphony No. 8 in G Major Op. 88~Allegro ma non troppo
5. Symphony No. 7 in D minor Op. 70~Allegro maestoso
6. Symphony No. 7 in D minor Op. 70~Poco adagio
7. Symphony No. 7 in D minor Op. 70~Scherzo. Vivace
8. Symphony No. 7 in D minor Op. 70~Finale. Allegro

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Gianandrea Noseda   Primary Artist,Conductor
Philharmonia Zuerich   Primary Artist,Orchestra

Technical Credits

Andreas Werner   Recording Producer,Editing
Jakob Haendel   Engineer
Paul Day   Liner Note Translation
Monika Rittershaus   Photography
Genevieve Geffray   Liner Note Translation
Carole Bolli   Graphic Design
Sabine Turner   Production Manager
Fabio Dietsche   Booklet Editor
Ulrike Thiele   Liner Notes
Antonin Dvorak   Composer