A New Reference Dvorak (In Both Senses!) & A Surprising Coupling

Dvorak/Simon

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra/Manfred Honeck

Reference FR-769

Total Time:  58:53

Recording:   ****/****

Performance: ****/****

When Antonin Dovrak came to visit America in 1892, he spent some time trying to inspire Americans to explore their own folk music traditions.  He saw the value of spirituals as one avenue of possibility, less so the music of indigenous peoples (though how much he might have heard of this on his trip to Iowa is hard to say).  His ninth symphony then became his “inspired” result and has really never left the standard orchestral repertoire.  The melodies and exciting scherzo and finales of his works appeal to audiences and it is no surprise that his popularity persists.  Of course, with this said, there are hundreds (thousands?) of recordings of the ninth symphony to choose from and most of the time you cannot go too far wrong unless the recorded sound is rough.  There will be favorite recordings of this as well from Toscanini’s classic NBC recording to a more popular pick in Fritz Reiner’s RCA recording.  Too many since then to count and so we must think what might set this one apart. 

First, Manfred Honeck’s programming in his Reference releases with the Pittsburgh Symphony have done a great job of bringing together a familiar work with a newer one when they can fit on one CD.  Here the same holds true as they have recorded a new work by Atlanta-based composer Carlos Simon, Four Black American Dances originally premiered by the Boston Symphony Orchestra.  Certainly, it is one of the more intelligent couplings.  Though more might listen to the new work if it had been placed first here.  As with many American orchestra recordings, this one is taken from a live February 2025 performance with additional corrective patches made later.  In essence a “best of both worlds” where we can get a palpable sense of excitement and edge without the sorts of hiccups that happen in performances.  Simon discusses his own work in his notes and Honneck provides some detailed musings on his vision of this symphonic warhorse.  Vision aside, it is the end result that really matters.  The PSO plays Simon’s work as if it is something they have always known and loved and the Dvorak as a wonderful new discovery of the past.  A freshness wafts across every aspect of the performances that follow.

Simon’s piece explores the eras of slavery, Reconstruction, and Jim Crow through references to dances popular across the history of African Americans in this country from the opening “Ring Shout”, to a “Waltz” that recalls the cotillions of Black social circles in the 1930s, to tap dance (“Tap”), and the religious traditions in “Holy Dance”.  The music is a blend of jazzy inflections coupled with a style that is part Michael Daugherty and part Morton Gould with a little Gershwin.  The orchestral colors and rhythmic qualities of Simon’s music come through here with engaging melodic ideas.  Rich harmonic writing in the “Waltz” is stunning.   Blends of both come through in “Tap” with the final “Holy Dance” featuring some great percussion opportunities and syncopated rhythms of celebration. 

The attention to details of articulation and gestures makes this music really come alive as some lon- lost masterpiece.  This will undoubtedly be its reference recording.  One can hope that exposure here will lead to it being further picked up. 

The first thing one notices in the Dvorak is the great attention to articulation and details.  Accents and the swells called for in the music help immediately grab the attention and they are matched appropriately in their repetitions.  The balance across the orchestra is also well-imaged which helps give a real sense of where the sound comes from.  The wind and brass playing is spot on and consistent and the strings match this as well.  Listen to how the flute solo is beautifully shaped and then how this is then taken on by violins who match what has been done! All of this sets the bar high in the first movement.  The slow movement is quite exquisite and one can even hear some of the inner string harmonies shifting against the opening melody.  This makes the second theme equally compelling and Honneck emphasizes the quietude inherent in this music.  It is like a still summer day with a slight breeze.  The dynamic range of the recording is demonstrated well in this movement.  The scherzo bubbles along and here the galloping string moments have a crisp quality underneath the rest of the textures of solo lines.  The lyrical second theme allows us to once again hear the PSO’s winds in fine form.  Listen also to the trumpet articulations here that are now picking up the string motive and these two align as do the horn articulations later.  (That triangle color is also just that and not miked as some bizarre solo!)  The finale lets the brass finally shine and the energy never flags here as the movement gets underway.  Again, the attention to the details of the little crescendos and decrescendos actually provide a further energy and shape to the music that is often glossed over.  Little details pop, like the bassoon lines as we get ready to head into the final few minutes.  The trumpet line also appears then drops to crescendo again, not to overwhelm, but to fall into place within the orchestral color.  The coda is simply marvelous!

One thing that Reference gets, apart from the always excellent sonic and engineering work, is the need for a booklet with notes that are interesting and provide some connections to what we are hearing.  The color scheme and design of the packaging is also quite attractive.  Of course, all of this is in hybrid stereo sound so if you have a 5.1 surround system in place you will have an even more entrancing experience, but it sounds fabulous on traditional systems as well. 

Honeck and the PSO have made some stellar recordings and recent concerts of Mahler have audiophiles wondering if we might get those eventually to parallel the amazing Bruckner that these forces have committed to disc.  If you are here for the Simon, you are going to get a new reference recording for the Dvorak, and if you are here for the Dvorak, stick around for an excellent new work that you may hit repeat on.  Both works make this an album to return to often.  This current release will be a highlight of the year and it would not be surprising to see this on the Grammy list.  Highly recommended!