Dvořák: Symphony No. 6 - Nocturne - Scherzo capriccioso Marin Alsop & Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

• Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904): Symphony No. 6 in D major, Op. 60, B. 112:
• 1 Dvořák: I. Allegro non tanto 16:12
• 2 Dvořák: II. Adagio 11:20
• 3 Dvořák: III. Scherzo: Presto 08:02
• 4 Dvořák: IV. Finale: Allegro con spirito 10:01
• Nocturne in B major, Op. 40, B. 47
• 5 Dvořák: Nocturne in B major, Op. 40, B. 47 07:38
• Scherzo capriccioso, Op. 66, B. 131
• 6 Dvořák: Scherzo capriccioso, Op. 66, B. 131 15:04
• Total Runtime 01:08:17

Info for Dvořák: Symphony No. 6 - Nocturne - Scherzo capriccioso

Widely acclaimed for their Naxos recordings of Dvořák’s Symphonies Nos. 7 and 8 (8.572112) and No. 9 ‘From the New World’ with the Symphonic Variations (8.570714), Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra here present his Symphony No. 6, which pays tribute both to Dvořák’s mentor Brahms and to the rich folk music of his Bohemian homeland. The Nocturne is an arrangement for string orchestra of the beautiful slow movement from his Fourth String Quartet. Suggestive of a celebration of Nature, the Scherzo capriccioso is one of Dvořák’s most masterful and colourful works, with a winning principal waltz theme.

This is a tough call. The performance of the Sixth Symphony is mostly excellent, particularly in the first two movements. Marin Alsop takes the first-movement exposition repeat and paces the music perfectly—lively enough to generate real excitement, but sufficiently measured to capture all of the details of Dvořák’s delicious scoring. She’s attentive to the important bass lines (check out the coda) and gives the contribution of the trombones due weight. Her reading of the Adagio has the same qualities: poetic, flowing, and full of characterful detail. The scherzo would have benefited from even sharper rhythms in the strings, but this is a small point. In the opening of the finale Alsop indulges a habit she has of making a slight ritard during a crescendo, and then sprinting forward. Sometimes it works, but here it checks the music’s forward impetus. Once past the first minute, though, the rest of the performance goes splendidly.

Then we get to the couplings. The Nocturne, like the symphony, is really well paced. This remarkable little movement began life as a piece of Dvořák’s Fourth quartet. It sounds like it could have come from Wagner’s Siegfried-Idyll, except that it actually was written earlier. The Scherzo capriccioso, though, is a disaster. This has to be one of the dullest, clunkiest performances it has ever received, and while not as big as the symphony it’s unquestionably a major work. Lasting a bit more than 15 minutes, Alsop’s rendition is almost 20 percent slower than, say, Kubelik’s lively romp on DG, and the difference is deadly. Marin, Marin, what on earth were you thinking? It’s a pity, because the symphony really is recommendable, and the sonics are quite good; but you will have to decide if you want that work shackled to this dreary Scherzo capriccioso. (David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com)

Marin Alsop, Conductor
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

Award:
Gramophone Magazine: Editor's Choice - December 2010

Marin Alsop - Conductor
Hailed as one of the world’s leading conductors for her artistic vision and commitment to accessibility in classical music, Marin Alsop made history with her appointment as the twelfth music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. With her inaugural concerts in September 2007, she became the first woman to head a major American orchestra. She also holds the title of conductor emeritus at the Bournemouth Symphony in the United Kingdom, where she served as the principal conductor from 2002-2008, and is music director of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in California. Her most recent appointment as principal conductor of the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra (OSESP), starting in 2012, marks another historic appointment for her. In 2005, Marin Alsop was named a MacArthur Fellow, the first conductor ever to receive this prestigious award. In 2007 she was honoured with a European Women of Achievement Award, in 2008 she was inducted as a fellow into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and in 2009 Musical America named her Conductor of the Year. In November 2010 she was inducted into the Classical Music Hall of Fame. Marin Alsop is a frequent guest conductor with the most distinguished orchestras around the world, including the New York Philharmonic, The Philadelphia Orchestra, the London Symphony, London Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Concertbegouw Orchestra, the Orchestra of La Scala, the Tonhalle Orchestra and many others. In addition to her performance activities, she is an active recording artist with award-winning cycles of Brahms, Barber and Dvořák.

Marin Alsop was named a MacArthur Fellow, the first conductor ever to receive this prestigious award.

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
is internationally recognized as having achieved a preeminent place among the world’s most important orchestras. Acclaimed for its pursuit of artistic excellence, the BSO has attracted a devoted national and international following while maintaining deep bonds throughout Maryland with innovative education and community outreach initiatives. The BSO made musical history in September 2007, when Marin Alsop led her inaugural concerts as the Orchestra’s twelfth music director, making her the first woman to head a major American orchestra. The BSO has achieved critical acclaim for its recording albums. In August 2009 the orchestra and Marin Alsop released Bernstein’s Mass, which rose to number six on the Classical Billboard Charts and received a 2009 GRAMMY® nomination for Best Classical Album. For more than eighty years, the BSO has maintained a vibrant educational presence throughout Maryland. The 2012-2013 season marks the fifth year of OrchKids, a year-round program that provides music education to Baltimore’s neediest youngsters at no cost. In addition to the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, where the orchestra has performed for 29 years, the BSO is a founding partner and the resident orchestra at the Music Center at Strathmore, just outside of Washington, D.C. With its opening in February 2005, the BSO became the nation’s only major orchestra with year-round venues in two metropolitan areas.

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