Finally reissued as a boxed set, albeit stripped of the shorter orchestral works that came attached to a couple of the symphonies, Otmar Suitner’s Dvorák unquestionably ranks with the very best, right up there with Kertesz, Kubelik, and Rowicki. He secures absolutely gorgeous playing from the Staatskapelle Berlin, with glowing string textures and a truly Czech character from the woodwinds, and all of the performances are beautifully recorded, save for an annoying creaking chair in the scherzo of the Fourth Symphony. There isn’t a weak link here, though like most conductors, Suitner makes some cuts in the First Symphony. Highlights include a stunning third movement of the Second Symphony, a glorious funeral march from the Third, a rousing finale of the Fifth, a simply gorgeous account of the Sixth from first note to last, a fiery and passionate Seventh, and a final pair full of individual touches (in the Eighth especially) that you won’t find anywhere else. Make no mistake, this set represents a major achievement by a seriously underrated conductor–not a showman, perhaps, but a fine musician with good ideas and the means to realize them. Don’t miss it this time around.
