The playing time is short (about 49 minutes), and the sonics have some of that early digital glare, but the performances are marvelous. It’s great to see the delicious Czech Suite get top billing; it’s a substantial work, and its gorgeous fourth-movement Romance must be counted among Dvorák’s most poetic and beautiful inspirations (and that’s saying a lot). Similarly, the three dance pieces are delightful and are played with all the necessary gusto and rhythmic zest. Finally the Nocturne for strings–which began life as the slow movement of the early Fourth Quartet, then found a temporary home in the Double Bass Quintet before achieving its final, independent form–will surprise those who know and love the “folksy” Dvorák. It sounds quite a bit like Rachmaninov, or even the Siegfried Idyll, but is actually earlier than either. This is one of those discs, available “on demand” from Arkivmusic.com, that will very conveniently fill a gap in many Dvorák collections. It’s nice to have it available again. [7/9/2008]
