Dvořák: Symphonies Nos. 7-9

These live performances of Dvořák’s last three symphonies, recorded in February 2020, show Dudamel’s view of the 19th-century Czech composer to be intensely thrilling. In the much-recorded *“New World” Symphony*, he draws playing of burnished splendor from the Los Angeles Philharmonic, with a poignantly shaped cor anglais solo in the haunting “Largo.” The finale of the *Eighth Symphony* is another feature, its rollicking high spirits alternating with exceptional sensitivity in the reflective interludes. The darker-hued *Symphony No. 7* is trenchantly projected but never overheated, with unflinchingly articulate playing in all departments. Throughout the set, Dudamel’s expert balancing of the orchestra yields a tingling clarity of texture, offering an unrivaled insight into Dvořák’s resplendent soundworld—and his artful orchestration.