For this 2011 Warner Classics recording of
Antonin Dvorák's Symphony No. 9 in E minor, "From the New World," the main work is framed by a couple of the ever-popular Slavonic Dances and the tuneful Czech Suite, which give the disc considerable added value, but the symphony receives the most dynamic reading and compels listening entirely by itself.
José Serebrier and the
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra give a committed and passionate performance that holds the listener from beginning to end, and they infuse this late Romantic masterpiece with vital expressions and vibrant colors that summon up all of its nostalgia, turbulence, and grandeur. Furthermore, the clarity of the music shows
Serebrier's close attention to details and the orchestra's exceptional skills, and the recording is brilliant in every timbre, texture, and phrasing. Listening to the album straight through may be difficult, because the "New World" really steals the spotlight and makes its companion pieces seem less significant in comparison, so to give the Slavonic Dances and the Czech Suite their due, listen to them on a separate occasion. They are delightfully played, and while they are considerably lighter in tone than the symphony, they deserve to be appreciated in their own right.