# Horenstein's Dvorak 9th



## cournot (Jan 19, 2014)

One recording that I don't see mentioned here often was Horenstein's performance of the Dvorak 9th with the RPO. Originally recorded for Reader's Digest it was reissued on a wonderful Chesky CD. I find it to be a splendid combination of great performance and sound. I consider the performance to be comparable to my other favorites by Reiner, Kertesz, and Kubelik but sonically superior to all three. I'm very fond of the Decca style analogue recordings and especially of Kenneth Wilkinson's work. Is there any digital recording that can be said to be comparable that is also in knockout sound? Just as a caveat, I consider early digital sound and any top end harshness to be unacceptable. For example, I had the first release of the Karajan Brahms 1st on digital and that was such a painfully ugly cd I could never even stand to finish listening to it. Digital recording has improved a great deal since then but I can't find a modern performance that is well performed and that sounds both natural and spectacular on a good stereo system.

Recommendations from the experts?


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## ptr (Jan 22, 2013)

I rarely dislike any of Horenstein's records, I can sometimes lament the somewhat uneven quality of the orchestras he got to record with esp. during his Vox years! The stuff he recorded with London Orchestras are often top-notch, despite often only having one or two takes recording sessions!
The live concert's that have appeared on tape often IMHO show very thoughtful and wonderful interpretations! (He's one of my to-go-to for Mahler!)

Can't think of a modern Dvorak 9 that is worth the bother!

/ptr


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

I was thinking yesterday that there doesn't ever seem to be much mention of Horrenstein,wonderful conductor !


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

A Horenstein recording was one of the first LPs I owned. All I remember of it is that it was a Mahler symphony, in very poor sound. But then, all of my LPs were in very poor sound, and his wasn't as bad as the ones I got from Montgomery Ward.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Concerning the Dvorak 9th/RPO, I have an old RCA LP (gl 25060 ; from before Reader´s Digest?), and like it.


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

Ukko said:


> A Horenstein recording was one of the first LPs I owned. All I remember of it is that it was a Mahler symphony, in very poor sound. But then, all of my LPs were in very poor sound, and his wasn't as bad as the ones I got from Montgomery Ward.


These early LPs were on Vox and they were bad and so were the orchestras. But he was always good even then.


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## revdrdave (Jan 8, 2014)

Yes, one of the challenges of being a Horenstein fan is that you frequently have to listen through the shabby orchestral execution and execrable sound to hear what he was trying to do. For instance, I have recordings of a series of concerts Horenstein made throughout the 1950s with the Orquesta Sinfónica Venezuela and the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Uruguay. Horrific doesn't begin to describe it. But, even so, evidence of Horenstein's interpretive genius is everywhere. When he was able to work with better orchestras--witness the series of recordings with the London SO, Bournemouth SO, and New Philharmonia on BBC legends, for instance, or the LSO recordings that have appeared on Unicorn and Chesky--not only do you get a much better sense of just how great a conductor he was but an equal sense of regret that he was forced to spend so much of his career conducting decidedly third-tier orchestras in South America (and Europe, for that matter, i.e. the Vox recordings with the Southwest German Radio S O or the Concerts Colonne). 

All that said, I agree that the Dvorak New World performance in question is one of the greatest.


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## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)

cournot said:


> ....Is there any digital recording that can be said to be comparable that is also in knockout sound? Just as a caveat, I consider early digital sound and any top end harshness to be unacceptable....Digital recording has improved a great deal since then but I can't find a modern performance that is well performed and that sounds both natural and spectacular on a good stereo system.Recommendations from the experts?


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## realdealblues (Mar 3, 2010)

I have a few Horenstein recordings on CD. Always liked what I heard. There are several I'd like to get a copy of but they are sadly out of print and I refuse to play $50-$100 for a used CD. Much of his catalog definitely needs to be re-released.

As for a digital recordings. I like this one. Vaclav Neumann recorded Dvorak's Complete Symphonies twice, once in analog and once in digital. I like them both and I don't find the digital one harsh at all. Music critic David Hurwitz from ClassicsToday.com gave it a perfect 10 for performance and a perfect 10 for sound.

View attachment 34306


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I was fortunate enough to eventually get five of his British Mahler recordings relatively cheaply by patiently stalking the Amazon marketplace. For those who covet them my advice is don't give up - every now and then one of them crops up at a reasonable price but you have to pounce immediately.


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## cournot (Jan 19, 2014)

Any opinion on the Paavo Jarvi performance of the 9th on Telarc SACD?


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