Album

Ultimate Dvorak: The Essential Masterpieces. The title alone lends itself to all kinds of problems. Who decides which of Dvorák's compositions are indeed his "essential" ones? Are the performances of these masterpieces also the ultimate? This five-disc collection by Decca is certainly an adequate introduction to some of Dvorák's most popular works: the final three symphonies, the cello concerto, and the Serenade for Strings. What's more noticeable is what's missing; despite Dvorák's rather significant contribution to chamber music, this genre is passed up in favor of lesser-known works like the Op. 44 Wind Serenade or both the Op. 46 and Op. 72 Slavonic Dances. The actual performances throughout the five CDs are, again, adequate. The London Symphony Orchestra, heard performing the Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth symphonies, suffers from some unusual and unexpected balance problems. Julian Lloyd Webber's interpretation of the Cello Concerto is neither remarkably in tune, nor musically enthralling. The highlight of the collection is the beautifully performed Serenade for Strings with the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Apart from its bargain price, however, most listeners may do better shopping for Dvorák's "essential masterpieces" using the a la carte method: choose superior performances of fewer works rather than passable performances of more compositions.

© Mike D. Brownell, All Music Guide

CD 1 of 5
Antonín (Leopold) Dvořák Composer Symphony No.7 in D-, B.141, Op.70 (first published as No.2) Work 37:57 Witold Rowicki Conductor, London Symphony Orchestra Orchestra
1	1.Allegro maestoso	10:40			$1.99
2	2.Poco adagio	10:13			$1.99
3	3.Scherzo vivace. Poco meno mosso	7:43			$1.49
4	4.Finale: Allegro	9:21			$1.49
Antonín (Leopold) Dvořák Composer Symphony No.9 in E- ('From the New World'), Op.95 Work 41:40 Witold Rowicki Conductor, London Symphony Orchestra Orchestra
5	1.Adagio. Allegro molto	11:29			$1.99
6	2.Largo (containing theme 'Going Home')	11:31			$1.99
7	3.Scherzo: Molto vivace	7:49			$1.49
8	4.Allegro con fuoco	10:51			$1.99
CD 2 of 5
Antonín (Leopold) Dvořák Composer Symphony No.8 in G, B.163, Op.88 (first published as No.4) Work 35:34 Witold Rowicki Conductor, London Symphony Orchestra Orchestra
1	1.Allegro con brio	9:48			$1.49
2	2.Adagio	11:09			$1.99
3	3.Scherzo: Allegretto grazioso	5:59			$0.99
4	4.Allegro ma non troppo	8:38			$1.49
Antonín (Leopold) Dvořák Composer 10 Legends (arr. from B.117), B.122, Op.59 Work 41:09 London Philharmonic Orchestra Orchestra, Raymond Leppard Conductor
5	1.Allegretto non troppo, quasi andantino	2:53			$0.99
6	2.Molto moderato	4:15			$0.99
7	3.Allegro giusto	4:10			$0.99
8	4.Molto maestoso	5:30			$0.99
9	5.Allegro giusto	4:13			$0.99
10	6.Allegro con moto	5:09			$0.99
11	7.Allegretto grazioso	3:03			$0.99
12	8.Un poco allegretto	4:32			$0.99
13	9.Andante con moto	2:58			$0.99
14	10.Andante	4:26			$0.99
CD 3 of 5
Antonín (Leopold) Dvořák Composer Cello Concerto in B-, Op.104 Work 41:12 Julian Lloyd Webber Cello
1	1.Allegro	15:35			$2.49
2	2.Adagio ma non troppo	12:14			$1.99
3	3.Finale: Allegro moderato	13:23			$2.49
Antonín (Leopold) Dvořák Composer Rusalka, B.203, Op.114 (lyric fairy tale, opera)...Act 2 Work Vaclav Neumann Conductor, Orchestr Ceská Filharmonie Orchestra
4	5.Ballet: Slavnostní hudba (Polonaise)	4:40			$0.99
Antonín (Leopold) Dvořák Composer Carnival, Op.92 Work Vaclav Neumann Conductor, Orchestr Ceská Filharmonie Orchestra
5	Carnival, Op.92	9:22			$1.49
CD 4 of 5
Antonín (Leopold) Dvořák Composer 8 Slavonic Dances, B.83, Op.46 (after piano 4-hands version) Work 37:36 Gewandhausorchester Leipzig Orchestra, Kurt Masur Conductor
1	1.Presto in C	4:11			$0.99
2	2.Allegretto scherzando in E-	5:25			$0.99
3	3.Poco allegro in Ab	4:40			$0.99
4	4.Tempo di Minuetto in F	6:49			$0.99
5	5.Allegro vivace in A	3:20			$0.99
6	6.Allegretto scherzando in D	5:03			$0.99
7	7.Allegro assai in C-	3:43			$0.99
8	8.Presto in G-	4:25			$0.99
Antonín (Leopold) Dvořák Composer Slavonic Dances, B.145, Op.72 Work 38:11 Gewandhausorchester Leipzig Orchestra, Kurt Masur Conductor
9	1.Molto vivace in B	4:34			$0.99
10	2.Allegretto grazioso in E-	6:23			$0.99
11	3.Allegro in F	3:58			$0.99
12	4.Allegretto grazioso in Db	5:54			$0.99
13	5.Poco adagio in Bb-	2:47			$0.99
14	6.Moderato, quasi minuetto in Bb	3:58			$0.99
15	7.Presto in C	3:20			$0.99
16	8.Grazioso e lento in Ab	7:17			$1.49
CD 5 of 5
Antonín (Leopold) Dvořák Composer Serenade for Strings in E, Op.22 Work 27:02 Sir Neville Marriner Conductor, Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Orchestra
1	1.Moderato	4:07			$0.99
2	2.Tempo di valse	6:12			$0.99
3	3.Scherzo: Vivace	5:20			$0.99
4	4.Larghetto	5:22			$0.99
5	5.Finale: Allegro vivace	6:01			$0.99
Antonín (Leopold) Dvořák Composer Serenade for Winds, Cello, and Contrabass, B.77, Op.44 Work 23:18 Sir Neville Marriner Conductor, Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Orchestra
6	1.Moderato quasi marcia	4:02			$0.99
7	2.Minuetto	5:49			$0.99
8	3.Andante con moto	7:26			$1.49
9	4.Finale: Allegro molto	6:01			$0.99