Dvorak: Symphony No. 9, From the New World London Symphony Orchestra & Sir Colin Davis

• Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904)
• 1 I. Adagio - Allegro molto 12:12
• 2 II. Largo 12:54
• 3 III. Molto vivace 07:56
• 4 IV. Allegro con fuoco 11:24
• Total Runtime 44:26

Info for Dvorak: Symphony No. 9, From the New World

Sir Colin Davis captures the haunting brilliance of Dvorak's masterpiece and draws a truly virtuosic display from the London Symphony Orchestra. This was LSO Live's first recording and immediately defined the label's unique sound.

„Davis offers a story and a sense of conviction that place his performance in a wholly different league.“ (BBC Music Magazine)

The subtitle of Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 is important: it’s not ‘To the New World’; it’s ‘From’. That doesn't stop people referring it simply as 'The New World Symphony', though. This is very much a symphony that looks back, from the USA, to Dvorak’s native Bohemia. It is almost as if he were stood atop lady liberty herself, hand over his forehead to shield the sun, desperately looking to see if he can make out his faraway homeland.

It was the lure of an amazing fee that persuaded Dvorak to venture to New York. From his house overlooking Stuyvesant Park, he appeared to spend much of his time pining for home, rarely going out (unless contractually obliged to) and taking every opportunity to remind himself of home, particularly during the summer, which he spent with the Czech community of Spillville, Iowa.

When he premiered this work in Carnegie Hall in 1893, critics disagreed over whether it was an all-American symphony (as he’d promised) or just more of Dvorak’s usual fare. What is certain is that it has lived on its myriad merits ever since, remaining one of the most popular symphonies of all.

London Symphony Orchestra
Sir Colin Davis, conductor

Sir Colin Davis
The traditional road to success for a conductor used to be an apprenticeship in an opera house as a coach, playing the piano for singers in rehearsal. Colin Davis chose another route, partly by necessity. Unable to play the piano, he was not allowed into the conducting course at the Royal College of Music in London. So, he achieved an important international career by taking the initiative to form ensembles and conduct for friends at first. Early successes included the founding of the Chelsea Opera Group, a company which to this day gives performances of little known operas in concert.

Davis was soon working with professional orchestras including the BBC Scottish Symphony. His first ‘break’ was at Sadler’s Wells in 1958 when his conducting of Mozart’s Abduction from the Seraglio began a lifelong connection with that composer. The Edinburgh Festival followed along with Glyndebourne. His concert career blossomed in the mid 1960′s alongside his opera work and his other passion for Berlioz began to bring him to the attention of record lovers. He has recorded all the major works of Berlioz, including the first complete (and still regarded as the landmark) recording of Les Troyens.

Davis has enjoyed a career-long affiliation with Philips Classics, recording along with Berlioz, Mozart, the complete symphonies of Sibelius (while he was Principal Guest Conductor of the Boston Symphony in the 1970s) and much more.

Booklet for Dvorak: Symphony No. 9, From the New World