Antonio Pappano - Dvorak: Symphony No.9 & Cello Concerto (2012)

A recording of two of Dvorak’s most loved works together on disc – the Symphony No.9 in E minor “From the New World” and his Cello Concerto in B minor.

These two works are not often paired together on recordings. They were recorded live during the 11/12 Santa Cecilia season.

Dvorak wrote the 9th symphony following a trip to America. It is imbued with the rhythms of native American immigrant folk music cast in the language of the 19th century romantic musical language. Antonio Pappano, born in America but working in the European tradition, sees this piece in new and fresh ways because of his own heritage. This is the first time Pappano has conducted the 9th symphony, although he has admired the work for years.

This will also be a rare recording of the first edition of the Dvorak Cello Concerto, completed in 1895 - before he accepted a few of the numerous changes suggested by his cellist friend Hanuš Wihan (to whom Dvorak dedicated the work), It is far less frequently heard and, according to Dmitry Markevitch (the respected Russian concert cellist, researcher, teacher and musicologist) “much more musical”.

Dvorak wrote the concerto towards the end of his highly productive stay in America – he was in New York for his third term as the Director of the National Conservatory. He was inspired after hearing the second cello concerto by Victor Herbert - a fellow teacher at the Conservatory – 1894. Up till then Dvorák had always refused, stating that the cello was a fine orchestral instrument but totally insufficient for a solo concerto.

The concerto smacks of the anticipatory pleasures that Dvorák felt at the prospect of returning home. It opens with a large-scale and dramatically powerful Allegro, before striking a more dreamy note in the Andante and culminating in a fast and furious finale with folk-like elements from Bohemia - a compositorial greeting from the New World to Dvorák's distant homeland.

It is performed by the renowned Italian cellist Mario Brunello. He won the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1986 – the first Italian to ever do so, and has been catching the attention of musical authorities, including Maestro Pappano, ever since. He tours in Europe, America & Japan, appearing with leading orchestras and conductors (eg Semyon Bychkov, Myung-Whun Chung, Daniele Gatti and Valeri Gergiev).