Dvorak: Complete Symphonies, Tone Poems, Overtures & Requiem Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		0.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.5

Dvorak: Complete Symphonies, Tone Poems, Overtures & Requiem Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 30, 2016

I’ve always found it a bit odd when even some of my extremely musically literate friends tend to dismiss Antonín Dvořák as ersatz Brahms, or even worse, a preening “melodist” (as if that’s a crime) responsible for mere “tunes” like “Goin’ Home” (which is culled from the Largo of Dvořák’s Ninth Symphony). If you’re a fan of Brahms but have never heard Dvořák (as incredible as that may seem), there are certainly similarities between the two, and of course Brahms was instrumental (no pun intended) in furthering Dvořák’s career. Both men favor burnished low strings and resonant deep brass in their orchestrations, and both are unabashedly melodic and lyrical (which is not to say dispassionate) in their approach, while also maintaining a Classical (capital C) symmetry in their architecture. Hungarian conductor István Kertész helped popularize Dvořák’s music with a landmark series of recordings for Decca in the 1960s, which the label has gathered together here with some impressive 96/24 remastering for their debut on Blu-ray audio.

Along with the composer's nine symphonies, this package also includes the following other works:

Requiem, op. 89
Serenade in D Minor, op. 44
Scherzo Capriccioso, op. 66
Symphonic Variations, op. 78 (28)
My Home, op. 62
Husitska, op. 67
In Nature’s Realm, op. 91
Carnival, op. 92
Othello, op. 93
The Water Goblin, op. 107
The Noonday Witch, op. 108
The Golden Spinning-Wheel, op. 109

Dvorak: Complete Symphonies, Tone Poems, Overtures & Requiem Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

There's no real "video" here, other than a static screen with an image of this release's cover and track listings for the individual pieces.

Dvorak: Complete Symphonies, Tone Poems, Overtures & Requiem Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Dvořák: Complete Symphonies is presented on audio Blu-ray courtesy of Decca with a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track (96/24). Just comparing the audio Blu-ray to the also included CD versions of these pieces reveals what a stunning upgrade in sonics is achieved through lossless audio. The remastering has been artfully done, though there are occasional very slight issues which I personally feel are due to the exigencies of the original recordings (and subsequent editing). Midrange and low end are almost uniformly superb, but very occasionally a very slight thinness or brittleness emerges in extreme upper registers, especially when volume is pushed into fortissimo territory. Balance is extremely well handled, and the articulation of solo instruments against the tutti orchestra is breathtaking at times. Kertész's performances have long been considered definitive, and you'd be hard pressed to find a better overall symphonic cycle than this one, with the added pieces serving as rather delicious icing on an already impressive cake.

Dvorak: Complete Symphonies, Tone Poems, Overtures & Requiem Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

While there are no actual "supplements" on this release, Decca has packaged things very handsomely, with a book featuring the CDs in replicas of the original album covers, and a separate book which contains essays as well as the Blu-ray audio disc.

Dvorak: Complete Symphonies, Tone Poems, Overtures & Requiem Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

István Kertész died at a tragically early age, but his recorded output has made him a legend, and a large part of that renown is due to these iconic recordings. Blu-ray audio continues to be a niche market, but one that I continue to hope finds a foothold for devoted audiophiles. Decca has done a beautiful job upgrading these now half century (or more) old recordings, and the packaging is also very handsome. Highly recommended.