After their lean, clean, and colorful Chandos recordings of
Tchaikovsky's six numbered symphonies were well-received by critics and listeners,
Mariss Jansons and the
Oslo Philharmonic were hired by EMI to take a swing at
Dvorák's symphonies. Unfortunately,
Jansons' and the
Oslo Philharmonic proved far less able to work their magic with
Dvorák, and the cycle ceased after only four symphonies had been recorded. For reasons that are hard to understand, those four recordings -- a thick and phlegmatic Fifth, a dull and ordinary Seventh, a somewhat dreary Eighth, and a perfunctory Ninth -- capture none of the best qualities of the conductor, the ensemble, or the music itself. Who knows why this happened?
Jansons was at the same time making excellent recordings of symphonies by
Rachmaninov,
Shostakovich, and
Sibelius, and the
Oslo Philharmonic is a reliably determined and enthusiastic ensemble. For whatever reason, these recordings will all-too-likely prove disappointing to fans of the works, the conductor, and the orchestra.