Lahav Shani's eight-year tenure as chief conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic is drawing to a close, but he leaves the orchestra in fine form. Their new recording of Dvořák's Symphony No 9 brings a natural freshness to the familiar work, avoiding grand gestures while maintaining a compelling elegance.
The first movement unfolds unhurriedly but with unstoppable momentum. Shani allows phrases to flow organically, giving woodwind solos—such as the velvety flute in the first movement and the cor anglais in the second—space to make their mark without overemphasis.
The third movement's middle section has a lightness that verges on humour, while the finale retains necessary weight, its initial fluster dissolving into a sweet clarinet solo before blooming into joyous grandeur. The album also includes a rarity: Johan Wagenaar's 1905 tone poem Cyrano de Bergerac, clearly inspired by Strauss's Don Juan, performed with swashbuckling spirit.
