Dvorák: Serenades

1	Serenade for string orche
2	Serenade for string orche
3	Serenade for string orche
4	Serenade for string orche
5	Serenade for string orche
6	Serenade for winds and st
7	Serenade for winds and st
8	Serenade for winds and st
9	Serenade for winds and st
Dvorák: Serenades
1.	Serenade for string orchestra in E major, B. 52 (Op. 22) 27:08
	Composed by Antonin Dvorák
	Performed by Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
	Conducted by Myung-Whun Chung
2.	Serenade for winds and strings in D minor, B. 77 (Op. 44) 22:58
	Composed by Antonin Dvorák
	Performed by Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
	Conducted by Myung-Whun Chung

Barnes & Noble

Dvorák's lighter side is revealed on this outstanding recording from conductor Myung-Whun Chung and the Vienna Philharmonic, featuring the composer's two Serenades, one scored for strings, the other for winds. As one might expect from this orchestra, the chief pleasure in the E Major String Serenade -- aside from Dvorák's winsome melodies, of course -- is the Vienna's famously plush string tone. Chung certainly chose the right ensemble for the job. And he brings his own good taste to the task, too, allowing the music -- some of Dvorák's most charming -- to unfold naturally, without undue fuss. The opening Moderato flows gracefully, for instance; the Larghetto is beautifully atmospheric, and while darker chords are struck in the impassioned Finale, the rapidly paced Scherzo sounds less frenzied than playfully spirited. The companion piece, the D Minor Wind Serenade, is no less attractive, with the Vienna's winds achieving a lushness and technical accomplishment to rival their colleagues. Chung finds the right degree of bounce in the Allegro Finale, while the lyrical Andante wraps the listener in rustic warmth. With a growing Dvorák résumé to his name, including highly rated pairings of the 6th & 8th and 3rd & 7th Symphonies (the latter currently unavailable), Chung is fast becoming a Dvorákian to reckon with. EJ Johnson

All Music Guide

Funky as it was, you can retire the old Kertesz recording of Dvorák's "Serenades." Elegant as it was, you can retire the old Marriner, and virtuostic as it was, you can retire the old Orpheus, too. Because as great as they all were, this 2001 recording by Myung-Whun Chung and the Vienna Philharmonic is simply the greatest recording of these two eternally delightful works ever recorded. Part of the reason -- maybe the largest part -- is the magnificent playing. In the "Serenade for winds," the oboes are sweetly plangent, the clarinets are tenderly dulcet, the bassoons are suavely elegant, the double bassoon is gracefully gawky, the horns are romantically rousing, and in its solo in the sensual Andante con moto nocturne, the double bass is as sexy as a double bass can be. In the "Serenade for strings," the strings of the Vienna Philharmonic play with incredible precision, unbelievable passion, and unending beauty of tone; in other words, like the string section of the world's greatest orchestra. But some of the reason is the exquisitely tactful conducting. Chung molds each of the movements of the "Serenade for strings" into a heartwarming and soul-satisfying whole. Better yet, he lets the Vienna's wind players have their way in their serenade, allowing them the freedom to be themselves in the context of his genial direction. And a small part of the reason is Deutsche Grammophon's superb sound: real and lifelike and right in your living room. James Leonard