RCA’s new mid-price reissue series sensibly couples James Levine’s two Chicago Symphony Dvorák recordings on one disc. The Seventh is a rarity for the Chicagoans (on recordings at least), and they grab hold of it with the same gusto that informs their performances of new works. As you would expect, there’s higher than usual prominence given to the brass (exposing Dvorák’s beautiful writing for that section), but this fits in with Levine’s dramatic conception of the music. And he pegs critical passages–the pounding timpani at the end of the first movement exposition, his pulling back of the tempo at the climax of the Poco Adagio–for maximum emotional effect. Levine amazingly gets his big, brawny band to move cat-like throughout the score, resulting in a strongly projected yet satisfyingly lyrical rendition. BMG’s remastering of the original 1983 recording has removed much of its harshness (and especially the tubby bass), allowing for improved balance and presence.
The 1981 “New World” proved a tougher job for BMG’s engineers, and you immediately notice the digital glare that imparts a steely quality to the strings and seems to suck all space from around the sound, despite the reverberation provided by Medinah Temple’s acoustics. That said, it sounds a lot better than the original LP (and then CD). Levine’s reading is in the tradition of muscularly aggressive Chicago Symphony Dvorák Ninth’s, with bold brass playing throughout and strongly defined rhythms. Levine includes the first-movement exposition repeat (as did Solti in his later, even more aggressive recording, and Giulini, in his earlier, more expansive rendition–my favorite of the group). I wouldn’t put this performance in the same category as Bernstein’s brilliant and blazing New York reading, but it’s quite exciting, and coupled with Levine’s excellent Seventh it makes for a Dvorák symphony disc that’s hard to resist.
