By 1896, Dvořák had written some of his greatest works, including nine symphonies. Back from America, he was at the height of both his fame and his compositional power. Perhaps seeking a path less traveled, he wrote these four "orchestral ballads," as he called them, in quick succession, turning from his strict symphonic style to a more narrative, operatic form. However, his choice of literary inspiration can only be explained by his ardent patriotism: the poetry of Karel Jaromir Erben, an iconic Czech national poet. Archivist of Prague and collector of folk songs, he must have had a wild, perhaps folklore-influenced imagination. The poems are relentlessly gruesome and blood-thirsty, describing cruelty, mutilation, murder, suicide, and vengeance. That these horrors were alien to the warm-hearted composer is proved by his music. Although it illustrates character, atmosphere and every mood from drama and lamentation to exuberance, it is ravishingly beautiful. Its ardent, caressing lyricism, soaring melodies, inspired harmonies, daring modulations and ecstatic climaxes are literally breath-taking. Why these towering masterpieces are so rarely heard is a mystery; it is easy to ignore the grim literary content and surrender to the music, and the masterly, colorful orchestration must make them wonderful to play as well. Recorded live, the performance is superb: grand and sweeping yet sensitive to every timbral and expressive nuance, but the extreme, often sudden dynamic contrasts require a finger on the volume control. - Amazon.