Symphony Edition

A great recompilation of many of RK's gratest recorded literature from DG. The Schumann is the weakest of the group, bettered on CBS-Sony by some degree, but not a lot. The beethoven is innovative, using 9 different orchestras, recorded between 1973-1975, in excellent sound. Particularly strong are #4 with Israel and #8 with Members of the Cleveland Orchestra, Cleveland's first DG recording by decades. The Mahler is a staple of the composer's recorded literature. The Dvorak is in my opinion grander than Rowicki or Kertesz, but doesn't really better them. The 6th comes across as if it were Brahms, it is so gigantically conceived. The 7th is slightly thin-sounding and minimally anemic. #8 started the Kubelik Dvorak Cycle in 1966, and it is still a superb example of the BPO at its best. The 9th is patrician, massive but lithe. Great for people who don't have these recordings on CD.

Beethoven. Therefore five stars each for the symphonies of Schumann and Dvorak, four stars for Mahler, andthree for the LVBs-regrettable because Kubelik recorded some better Beethoven elsewhere: #s2 and 6 with Audite, 4 with Audite and especially Meteor. I still find #s 3,5,7 and 9deficient in brio and intensity. Best in this set are his #1 with the London PO #2 with the RCOA (though the Van Beinum RCOA is even better I think), #4 with the Israel PO (better than his Audite version but not his scarce Meteor)_. I do prefer the Audite #6 tohis Orchestre de Paris DG version. Perhaps the idea of different orchestras for each symphony backfired.Kubelik recorded two Schumann Cycles, one with the Berlin PO/DG and the other withhis Bavarian RSO/Sony. Both are excellent especially in #s 1,3 and 4. However, his BPO#2 is a desert isle version, brimming with fervor and poetry-the extra mile c.f. the fineBRSO version. It holds a place among his greatest discs ever and I haven't heard a better oneThe Dvorak cycle misses a Czech Orchestra, but Kubelik also carries Bohemia with him(// the Hell carrying Satan in Paradise Lost). RK also redeems much of #s 1-5 andholds his own in the final four. No one conductor dominates a Dvorak set ( my favoritesare Talich, Ancerl in #s 6,8,and9, Szell in #s 7-9, Sejna in #s 5-7. Dohnanyi/Clevelandand Vaclav NeumannThe Kubelik Mahler cycle was one on the first. He also recorded a second cycle liveon Audite, most of which I haven't heard. It is also home turf, characterized bylighter textures and speedier tempi than the norm. The slow, tragic music is conductedconvincingly, e.g in #s 2,3, 6 and 9. #10 is present only in its fragmented state, The three middle movements (nachtmusik ) of #7are quite attractive, although I cannot fathom the outer movements. Elsie Morisonis not among the best soloists in #4 c.f. Ameling,Popp, Donath and Della Casa, but the remainderis superb. I admit to being estranged partly from #s 5 and more from 8 (especially the first movement. But on the whole this Mahler set is quite competitive