Description
Esoteric is now expanding its master pressing expertise into vinyl with its new "Masterpiece Collection."
The intense spirit of conductor Istvan Kertesz is overwhelming in this masterpiece, as performed by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Dvorák's long experience with classical forms finds its culmination in his final symphony, whose first performance took place in New York in 1893. The work still enjoys an unwaning popularity thanks to its finely contoured orchestration and its original themes, all of which are based on American folksongs and negro spirituals.
To capture Dvorák's score in sound has always proved a challenge for both orchestra and recording team. This aim has been more than fulfilled in this recording with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra led by István Kertész: the primeval power of the weighty brass, the glorious revelling of the strings, and the lyrical solo passages are all captured here. Musicianship of the highest degree combined with audio-technical perfection lend this recording, made in the early days of stereophony, the status of an historical sound document which, despite numerous other recordings, has no reason to fear competition.
Recorded March 1961 at Sofiensaal, Vienna by James Brown / Production: Ray Minshull
For its Masterpiece Collection, Esoteric has employed Mixer's Lab in Tokyo for the analog lacquer cutting process, employing a Neumann VMS80 cutting lathe, of which only two remain in Japan. Output is connected directly to the Neumann SP79C cutting console, bypassing the equalizer section of the console. The lacquer cutting was performed by Katsutoshi Kitamura, of Mixer's Lab.
