On arriving in the USA and taking up his functions at the head of the Conservatory in September 1892, Antonin Dvorák threw himself into the study of Amerindian music and the songs of Stephen Foster; but the true revelation came from the songs of the Black population, which enthralled him.
His 9th symphony, “From the New World”, was clearly inspired by these songs, although the title should be understood as designating a work sent from the United States to his friends who had remained in Europe. This new recording features a rare performance of the symphony on instruments of the period by the specialist orchestra Le Chambre Philharminique directed by the internationally renowned conductor Emmanuel Krivine.
The three movements of the Konzertstück form a true concertante work, in which Schumann strives to exploit the resources of the modern horn. But he never allows virtuosity to stifle the musical discourse. The first movement, heroic in tone, is marked Lebhaft (lively). The short Romanze foreshadows the solemn Maestoso of the ‘Rhenish’ Symphony (1850), and moves without a break into the radiant finale, marked Sehr lebhaft (very lively) and dominated by rapid virtuoso runs, which reverts to the epic atmosphere of the work’s opening.
La Chambre Philharmonique, created under the aegis of Emmanuel Krivine, is the result of a utopian ideal. A new type of orchestra, composed of musicians from the greatest European ensembles all motivated by the same desire to make music, La Chambre Philharmonique places pleasure and discovery at the heart of its musical adventure. Since its debut at La Folle Journée in Nantes (2004), La Chambre Philharmonique has met with keen interest wherever it has played. The ensemble has worked with prestigious soloists such as Andreas Staier, Emanuel Ax, Christophe Coin, and Véronique Gens. The orchestra recorded Mozart’s C minor Mass with the Accentus Chamber Choir, Sandrine Piau, Anne-Lise Sollied, Paul Agnew, and Frédéric Caton for Naïve in 2005, and subsequently toured this programme widely in 2006. The second recording of La Chambre Philharmonique and Emmanuel Krivine, devoted to Mendelssohn (2007), won numerous awards in the press.
