Dvořák is, of course, one of the most popular classical composers, but it tends to be the same few works, mostly from late in the composer's career, that are routinely performed.
Brahms said that most composers would be happy to have come up with the ideas
Dvořák discarded, but he had not heard those late works when he said that, and there are many melodically overflowing treasures from the middle part of
Dvořák's career. Consider this superb release by the
WDR Symphony Orchestra under
Cristian Măcelaru. It does not jump off the shelf or screen;
Măcelaru is a conductor highly esteemed by those in the know, but he is hardly a household name, and the Legends, Op. 59, and Czech Suite, Op. 39, are not terribly often performed. However, there is hardly a more satisfying orchestral release from the year 2022. The Legends are short pieces, not far from the Slavonic Dances but with a slightly more narrative quality (there is no explicit program) that
Măcelaru catches beautifully. The Czech Suite includes an exquisitely graceful polka among its sequence of Czech dances, beautifully transmuted into a general orchestral medium. There is not a slow moment on the album, and the sound from the Philharmonie in Cologne is ideal. Something of a sleeper among the Outhere label's 2022 releases, this is well worth seeking out. ~ James Manheim