Though neither conductor
Otmar Suitner or the
Staatskapelle Berlin are often named among the finest in their specialties, this exciting performance of Dvorák's Eighth Symphony may be enough to convince some that both have been underappreciated. Though the performance begins tentatively, the opening movement's rollicking first theme shakes off any groggy sensibilities, and then it's off to the races. In the fast outer movements,
Suitner drives and goads the Berlin players to outstrip themselves in power and strength; the trumpet fanfares and trombone bellows in the closing movement's coda, for instance, are a roller coaster in sound. Happily,
Suitner coaxes equally poetic lyricism out of the Berlin players in the more serene inner movements. The couplings -- a 1979 My Home Overture and a 1981 Husitská Overture -- are more than acceptable, though less lively and inspired than the symphony, but it doesn't matter: the Eighth alone makes it all worth while. Berlin Classics' stereo sound is harsh, boxy, and gray.