Dvorak: Symphonies Nos.8 & 9

This disc featuring music by Dvorák find Iván Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra at the top of their form, playing music for which they have a special affinity. Dvorak's last symphonies cover a wide range of mood and musical style, and each is a true masterwork in its own right. The eighth, composed at Dvorák s summer residence deep in the Bohemian countryside, is indisputably From the Old World. The ninth, composed in New York and intended as a greeting From the New World, is steeped in the composer s yearning for his native soil. The Suite in A major is one of the many hidden treasures among Dvorák s works. It is a composition of enchanting beauty, lyricism and freshness.