Dvorak: Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95 'From the New World'

“The unashamed brassiness of the orchestra's sound marks it out as the work of an American ensemble, but alongside that there is plenty of subtlety to the wind-playing, not least the marvellous cor anglais in the famous slow movement, as well as the cameos given to flute and clarinet elsewhere in the work. The strings, on the other hand, bring a sheen more in keeping with the music's European roots. The recorded sound is particularly warm and welcoming, and both that and the superlative performances mean that the two promised successors to this disc - more Dvorák recorded under the same circumstances - cannot arrive soon enough.” Matthew Rye, Daily Telegraph, 28th June 2006 Disc of the Week

“It’s hard to understand why a work as enjoyable as the Symphonic Variations, by a composer as popular as Dvorak, should be so neglected. Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony remind us of its charms and richly inventive colours in this vivid, incisive account. They also do the symphony proud, proving that a warhorse such as the New World is hackneyed only in the minds of jaded performers and listeners.” Sunday Times, 22nd June 2008 ****

"exquisitely done ... the Largo with its haunting cor anglais melody is refined, with exceptionally clean textures ... Altogether an excellent disc, generously filled" Gramophone

Symphony No.8 ... is just as thrilling today ... and very well balanced ... Kertész No.9 has also stood the test of time as a highly recommendable and imaginative performance with vivid sound." Gramophone

Kubelik draws truly idiomatic performances from the BPO giving these oft encountered works a real sense of originality - James Jolly, Gramophone 1000th issue