On the basis of the autograph

When a work of the repertoire is published in a new edition, especially one labeled "Urtext", there are two possibilities in (only a perceived) 95 percent of all cases: Either the editorial decisions compared to previous editions have to be looked for with a magnifying glass (in which case there are usually market considerations behind the edition - and yes: there is a Musik.biz, and that is unquestionably a good thing), or there really is something new, sometimes even spectacular, to discover. This may only concern a single note or an accidental (from Beethoven to Berg), but sometimes there are entire passages that were once lost in the haste of production or in the maelstrom of tradition.

In this respect, the present new edition of Dvořák's String Serenade also arouses curiosity: in addition to the usual minor corrections and additions, it features new bars: There are 34 in the scherzo and as many as 79 in the finale. They can be found in the autograph, but were not included in the printed score published by Bote & Bock in 1879. Admittedly, they were included in the 1955 volume of the complete edition (albeit in the appendix, and were thus once again lost in IMSLP, a repeated gravis defectus). Robin Tait has made a virtue of this necessity and chosen the autograph as the main source for the new edition, thus also integrating the passages that fell by the wayside during printing into the main text (and yet, as a concession to modern practice, has provided them with a vide-note). This means that it can now be freely explored, although Dvořák himself, as a recognized master, never later demanded a new edition. I used the recording with the Orchestre d'Auvergne under Roberto Forés Veses - and yes, the editors at the time may (?!) have made a good decision. But the discussion is open.

Antonín Dvořák: Serenade in E major op. 22 for string orchestra, edited by Robin Tait, score, BA 10423, € 22.95, Bärenreiter, Prague