Radomil Eliska, Sapporo Symphony Orchestra - Dvorak: Symphonies Nos. 5-9 (2008-2013) [2026 SACD]

The audio from the Eliška & Sapporo Symphony Orchestra live CD, originally released on the Pastiel label, has been licensed and remastered by ALTUS for the first time on SACD. Dvorák's Symphonies No. 5 through No. 9 are contained on a single SACD (total running time: 205 minutes). Newly mastered by Altus's Mr. Saito, this first SACD release is available exclusively at Tower Records and in limited quantities!

Radomir Eliška's (1931-2019) numerous performances with the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra were highly acclaimed, and the series of recordings released on the Pastiel label focused on works from his native Russia, including Dvorák, Smetana, and Janacek, as well as Russian music. Eliška's conducting, with its fresh expressiveness and high musicality, left a lasting impression on Japanese fans. Eliška's relationship with the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra began in 2006, when they first performed together in a repertoire including "Scheherazade." Since then, she has served as Principal Guest Conductor since 2008, and was subsequently awarded the title of Honorary Conductor in 2015. In addition to the Pastiel label, she has also released "Brahms: Complete Symphonies" and other works on the ALTUS label, which have garnered much attention. Her commitment to Czech works, which are not necessarily frequently performed in Japan, including by orchestras other than the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra, has been a major contribution to the Japanese music scene. This reissue includes nine titles (excluding the previously released "The Farewell Concert in Sapporo" on the Pastiel label, released in 2017)—a total of 10 CDs—with newly remastered recordings by ALTUS label president Keisuke Saito, and is available on three SACD single-layer discs. The first release will be "Dvorak: Symphonies Nos. 5-9," recorded live at Sapporo Concert Hall Kitara from 2008 to 2013 (with volumes 2 and 3 scheduled for release at a later date).
Eliška first visited Japan in 2004. Her activities in Japan in her later years captured the hearts of many music fans, and her 2009 performance of "My Country" with the NHK Symphony Orchestra was voted number one in that year's "Most Memorable NHK Symphony Orchestra Concert Edition." Her Czech works in particular have been highly praised, and her inclusion of works rarely performed in Japan, as well as Dvorak's mid-period symphonies (Nos. 5 and 6), has helped to raise awareness of each piece among Japanese audiences. With her sincere approach to the works and natural musicality, Eliška can truly be described as an authentic interpreter of Czech music.
These five Dvorak symphonies were originally released on CD in combination with other orchestral works, but this first volume brings together all five symphonies (the original coupling pieces will be released in the next release or later). Eliška's appreciation for Dvorak's symphonies seems to have focused on the fifth and subsequent symphonies rather than the entire collection, and in his actual performances he focused on those from that point onward. While performances of symphonies seven through nine are generally more prevalent in Japan, the recordings of the fifth and sixth symphonies, recorded by a Japanese orchestra, are particularly significant. The performances, in which each overflowing, beautiful melody is naturally expressed, are superb, and have undoubtedly increased the number of Dvorak fans in Japan. From the seventh symphony onward, his sincere conducting never overemphasized the symphonic quality, resulting in a truly authentic performance that accurately conveys the essence of the works, a masterpiece that will remain in the history of Japanese performance history. The Sapporo Symphony Orchestra's unified tone is extremely appealing, and this first-time SACD release highlights the even more beautiful overtones and the superb articulation of Eliška's playing. The balance has also been refined, resulting in sound quality that fully utilizes the excellent specifications of SACD. Seven years after her death, please take this opportunity to enjoy the masterpiece left behind by Eliška and the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra.
The audio, originally released on a commercially available CD, has been newly mastered for this SACD release. Taking advantage of the characteristics of the SACD format, five tracks totaling approximately 205 minutes have been recorded on a single SACD layer, allowing you to play all five tracks without changing discs.


*As it is a machine translation, the result may not provide an accurate description.
Please use it only as a reference.


Tracks:

Antonin Dvorak
1. Symphony No. 5 in F major, Op. 76, B. 54
2. Symphony No. 6 in D major, Op. 60, B. 112
3. Symphony No. 7 in D minor, Op. 70, B. 141
4. Symphony No. 8 in G major, Op. 88, B. 163
5. Symphony No. 9 in E minor, From the New World, Op. 95, B. 178

Personnel:

Sapporo Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Radomil Eliška

Recorded: 2008-2013, Sapporo, Japan