By Jonathan Blumhofer

Not all of Atlanta Symphony Orchestra conductor Nathalie Stutzmann’s ideas about Dvorak’s Ninth Symphony add up, but there is not much to argue with in Czech Philharmonic Orchestra director Semyon Bychkov’s take on Dvorak’s Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Symphonies. 

One would be hard-pressed to find a Ninth Symphony more popular than Antonin Dvorak’s. To wit: the Boston Symphony has played the Czech master’s New World Symphony 324 times since 1893. Beethoven’s Ninth? Just 216. Mahler’s valedictory effort has turned up on only 86 occasions.

So it’s no surprise to find a new recording of Dvorak’s Ninth as the main item on Nathalie Stutzmann’s new album with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO), her first with the ensemble since becoming its music director in 2022. Having first earned her stripes as a mezzo-soprano, it’s perhaps to be expected that Stutzmann has no trouble teasing out the sweeping lyricism of the Largo or tapping into the folksy lilt of the Scherzo’s Trio. She’s got a wonderful ensemble to work with, as various solos (including Emily Brebach’s English horn) and sectional moments attest.

Unexpectedly, though, the conductor’s approach to phrasing is uneven, sometimes literal and too often frustratingly mannered. Sure, there’s room for in this music for an unorthodox tack and the ASO delivers all Stutzmann asks of them.

It’s just that her ideas don’t quite add up. The first movement lacks personality. The finale misses out on the blend of warmth and tragedy that’s such an important part of Dvorak’s style. Issues with dynamics prevail across all four movements: the big spots aren’t anywhere near big enough, contrasts with extreme moments need to be set off more robustly, and the unwritten dynamic shadings that are applied in the coda of the last movement are fussy and wholly unnecessary.

In contrast to this, the filler, Dvorak’s American Suite, is altogether successful. Here, the music charms and soothes in equal measure. The opening Andante’s middle part is downright lusty while the first Allegro’s refrains flow urgently. The Polacca trips, the second Andante drips gentle melancholy, and the muscular finale sprints cleanly to the double bar. Indeed, the effort is as free, natural, unpretentious, and delightful as one wishes the whole of the Symphony had been.

Across the pond, Semyon Bychkov and his Czech Philharmonic Orchestra have their own new recording of the New World Symphony — along with Dvorak’s Seventh and Eighth Symphonies and his cycle of three concert overtures that, after a fashion, comprise a symphony all their own.

Interpretively, there’s relatively little here with which to argue. Their Ninth is clear and warm, its voicings and textures impeccably layered. Bychkov’s focus is clearly on shaping the line before all else. As a result, the Largo is plush and flowing and, though the outer parts of the Scherzo feel a touch deliberate, its Trio swings. In the Philharmonic’s thrilling, intense account of the outer movements, nearly every little detail comes out; their performance is a masterclass in impeccable ensemble and tonal blend.

The Seventh and Eighth fare well, too.

In the former, inexorable phrasings are the rule of the day, both in the majestic outer movements and in the sumptuous, tender Poco andante. Most striking, though, is the Scherzo, which emerges with a truly playful aspect one doesn’t always encounter in this music; the Trio’s lean textures, too, mean that the score’s inner voices shine beautifully.

The Eighth is cut from a similar interpretive cloth, full of vibrant and rhythmically attentive playing. The Adagio sings fervently and evinces a huge dynamic range, while the quiet interlude before the finale’s coda demonstrates a touching reluctance to let go. Bychkov and Co.’s only real misfire comes during the Allegretto, in which deliberate tempos keep its first four-fifths or so from ever really achieving flight. Otherwise, this is a brilliantly played Eighth.

Ditto for the overtures, though the Carnival Overture’s brisk sections are never quite fast or frenetic enough. Nevertheless, its idyllic spots are gorgeous and the other two — In Nature’s Realm and Othello — are colorfully and beautifully dispatched. The stormy ending of the latter is particularly thrilling.

Jonathan Blumhofer is a composer and violist who has been active in the greater Boston area since 2004. His music has received numerous awards and been performed by various ensembles, including the American Composers Orchestra, Kiev Philharmonic, Camerata Chicago, Xanthos Ensemble, and Juventas New Music Group. Since receiving his doctorate from Boston University in 2010, Jon has taught at Clark University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and online for the University of Phoenix, in addition to writing music criticism for the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.