DG The Original

The first of Dvorak's nine symphonies and the last of his symphonic poems come here in a generous coupling, both of them among the longest works he ever wrote in each genre. The only rival version of the symphony on CD is the Kubelik, and that only comes in the six-disc DG set of the complete cycle. As for The Hero's Song, this is a real rarity. It is in fact the very last orchestral work that Dvorak wrote, in 1897 some seven years before his death. Unlike earlier symphonic poems, it has no specific programme, though the journey from darkness to light in the unspecified hero's life is clearly enough established.

F. Gulda was, according to eminent cellist Pierre Fournier, the foremost pianist of his generation. And HIS generation emcompassed big names like Alfred Brendel, Ingrid Haebler, Jorg Demus, and perhaps, even Maurizio Pollini. It is a great pity that Gulda wasn't in league with 'the' eminent conductor Herbert von Karajan. This precluded many otherwise hot exposures of Gulda in discography. If pianists like Uchida could leave a complete set of Mozart sonatas, if Christoph Eschenbach could leave yet another complete set with good critical acclaim, certainly Friedrich Gulda's Mozart sonatas (and concerti) would have been hailed by ALL as the greatest ever!