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June 14, 2005
Dvorak's Sixth is Good? Who Knew?
Listening to KBPS during the Great Wild Compass Chase this morning (looking for a decent drafting compass with a set screw for reedmaking purposes), a rather schlocky and sentimental, but, overall, quite excellent and pleasant symphony presented itself. Superb command of orchestration and a thick nineteenth-century texture were clues to its origin. The well constructed first three movements had me desperate to know who wrote the thing (the finale, unfortunately, was a trite disappointment). "Definitely German [inspired]," Emily concluded. "Sounds Russian," I offered; "Could it be Tchaikowsky?" Emily wondered out loud. "Yeah, but it's too good," I quipped, meaning that the material was too well-developed. "That sounded like Liszt," Mom chimed in, correctly.
If it was Tchaikowsky, we agreed, it was some hidden gem we hadn't heard yet; I half-heartedly suggested Borodin but hedged with the assertion that if it were Borodin, I would be forced to conclude he was a far better composer than I had previously supposed. The guessing stalled with a stab at Janacek, and then we played the waiting game. Turns out -- wait for it -- it was Dvorak's Sixth. Altogether a far, far superior offering to the Seventh and Eighth. I had always assumed Dvorak was more-or-less a one hit wonder with the Ninth (From the New World), a few excellent chamber offerings notwithstanding, which is too bad since that renders his one good piece severely overplayed. Instead it turns out that the Sixth is quite comparable to the Ninth and even to a number of pieces by better-regarded composers, and definitely preferable (to my taste, anyway) to the Seventh and Eighth, which unjustly receive far more attention.
This is when I wish Dr. Y were reading my blog, because, personally, I would much rather be playing Dvorak's Sixth in HRO next year instead of Dvorak's Seventh, which I've already played, and I don't much like. But any conductor who gives me Rite of Spring and Beethoven's Ninth in the same season really ought to be exempt from further criticism.
Posted by David Richmond at June 14, 2005 2:07 AM EDT
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Comments
Major props on the 6th mention. You missed it the year before you went to Marrowstone, btw ;-) Damn good piece.
Posted by: Chrix at June 14, 2005 12:34 PM