PENTATONE releases Dvořák Symphonies Nos. 7, 8 ,9, together with Czech Philharmonic and Semyon Bychkov, in September 2024.
Dvořák At The Peak Of His Compositional Power
The Czech Philharmonic and its Chief Conductor and Music Director Semyon Bychkov present a new recording of Antonín Dvořák’s Symphonies 7, 8 and 9, coupled with the composer’s concert overtures In Nature’s Realm, Carnival and Othello.
The album is part of the 2024 Year of Czech Music. Dvořák’s final three symphonies show him at the peak of his compositional power and international fame, and exhibit an astonishing range of style and expression. His Symphony No. 9 “From the New World” has been part of Semyon Bychkov’s repertoire since the 1980’s, when he emigrated to the United States.
The three concert overtures were initially conceived as the Nature, Life and Love trilogy, but eventually published separately. They share Dvořák’s audible love for nature and fascination for human life and passion. Presenting this core Czech repertoire allows the orchestra and maestro to once more demonstrate their congenial collaboration and full command of Dvořák’s abundant sound world.
The Czech Philharmonic is one of the world’s orchestral gems, recognised for its rich tradition with the Czech masters as well as European repertoire. Semyon Bychkov, who is internationally renowned for his interpretations of the core repertoire, began his tenure with the Orchestra at the start of the 2018/19 season. Together, they have so far recorded for PENTATONE Mahler’s First, Second, Fourth and Fifth Symphonies (2022-2023), part of the complete Mahler cycle to be released by the label. The Orchestra is also featured on the albums Folk Songs (2023) and Czech Songs (2024), recorded by Magdalena Kožená and Sir Simon Rattle.
“What interests me most about Dvořák is that there is so much more to him than the great melodic gift for which he is adored… when you take care of the detail, then the score becomes much richer because it is not only based on the harmonies and melodies, but also on the inner polyphony which enriches it to the point of making it inexhaustible.“
Semyon Bychkov in Scherzo March 2024
Digital Release Date: 6 SEPTEMBER 2024
Physical Release: SEPTEMBER 2024
Released as 2 Standard CDs and in digital formats for streaming and high-resolution downloads
