Dagmar Pecková, Josef Suk, Josef Doležal, Josef Růžička, Jaroslav Šaroun - Jiří Bělohlávek Recollection (2018)
BAND/ARTIST: Dagmar Pecková, Josef Suk, Josef Doležal, Josef Růžička, Jaroslav Šaroun, Jiří Bělohlávek, Czech Philharmonic, Prague Philharmonia, Prague Symphony Orchestra, Brno Philharmonic Orchestra, New Czech Chamber Orchestra
- Title: Jiří Bělohlávek Recollection
- Year Of Release: 2018
- Label: Supraphon a.s.
- Genre: Classical
- Quality: flac lossless
- Total Time: 09:44:30
- Total Size: 2.38 gb
- WebSite: Album Preview
Tracklist
CD1
01. My Country, .: Vyšehrad
02. My Country, .: Vltava
03. My Country, .: Šárka
04. My Country, .: From Bohemian Fields and Groves
05. My Country, .: Tábor
06. My Country, .: Blaník
CD2
01. Symphony No. 9 in E-Sharp Minor, Op. 95, .: I. Adagio. Allegro molto
02. Symphony No. 9 in E-Sharp Minor, Op. 95, .: II. Largo
03. Symphony No. 9 in E-Sharp Minor, Op. 95, .: IV. Scherzo. Molto vivace
04. Symphony No. 9 in E-Sharp Minor, Op. 95, .: VII. Allegro con fuoco
05. Serenade in E-Sharp Major, Op. 22, .: Moderato
06. Serenade in E-Sharp Major, Op. 22, .: Tempo di valse
07. Serenade in E-Sharp Major, Op. 22, .: Scherzo. Vivace
08. Serenade in E-Sharp Major, Op. 22, .: Larghetto
09. Serenade in E-Sharp Major, Op. 22, .: Finale. Allegro vivace
CD3
01. Fantastic Scherzo, Op. 25, .
02. Fairy Tale, Op. 16, .: I. About the Faithful Love of Radúz and Mahulena and Their Sorrows. Adagio, ma non troppo
03. Fairy Tale, Op. 16, .: II. The Game of the Swans and the Peacocks. A la polka
04. Fairy Tale, Op. 16, .: III. Funeral Music. Andante sostenuto
05. Fairy Tale, Op. 16, .: IV. Runa´s Curse and How It Was Broken by Love. Allegro appassionato
06. Serenade in E-Flat Major, Op. 6, .: Andante con moto
07. Serenade in E-Flat Major, Op. 6, .: Allegro ma non troppo e grazioso
08. Serenade in E-Flat Major, Op. 6, .: Adagio
09. Serenade in E-Flat Major, Op. 6, .: Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo presto
CD4
01. Symphony No. 3 in E-Sharp Minor, Op. 53, .: I. Allegro inquieto
02. Symphony No. 3 in E-Sharp Minor, Op. 53, .: II. Allegro con fuoco. Adagio
03. Symphony No. 3 in E-Sharp Minor, Op. 53, .: III. Scherzo. Vivo e grazioso-Andante con moto
04. Symphony No. 3 in E-Sharp Minor, Op. 53, .: IV. Allegro maestoso. Allegro vivace
05. Sinfonietta, .: I. Allegretto
06. Sinfonietta, .: II. Andante
07. Sinfonietta, .: III. Moderato
08. Sinfonietta, .: IV. Allegretto
09. Sinfonietta, .: V. Andante con moto. Allegretto
10. Taras Bulba, .: The Death of Andrei
11. Taras Bulba, .: The Death of Ostap
12. Taras Bulba, .: The Prophecy and Death of Taras Bulba
CD5
01. Overture for Orchestra, H.345
02. Rhapsody-Allegro symphonique, H.171
03. The Parables for Large Orchestra, .: The Parable of a Sculpture. Andante pastorale
04. The Parables for Large Orchestra, .: The Parable of a Garden. Poco moderato-Allegro molto
05. The Parables for Large Orchestra, .: The Parable of a Navire. Poco Allegro
06. Estampes, .: Andante
07. Estampes, .: Adagio. Allegro moderato-Tempo
08. Estampes, .: Poco Allegro
09. Ma mere l´Oye, .: Pavane de la Belle au bois dormant
10. Ma mere l´Oye, .: Petit Poucet
11. Ma mere l´Oye, .: Laideronette, impératrice des Pagodes
12. Ma mere l´Oye, .: Les entretiens de la Belle et de la Bete
13. Ma mere l´Oye, .: Le Jardin féerique
14. Pavane for the Late Infanta, .
CD6
01. Tre ricercari, .: Allegro poco
02. Tre ricercari, .: Largo
03. Tre ricercari, .: Allegro
04. Divertimento, .: Allegro non troppo
05. Divertimento, .: Molto adagio
06. Divertimento, .: Allegro assai
07. Concerto, .: I. Introduzione. Andante non troppo
08. Concerto, .: II. Giuoco delle copie. Allegretto scherzando
09. Concerto, .: III. Elegia. Andante, non troppo
10. Concerto, .: IV. Intermezzo interrotto. Allegretto
11. Concerto, .: V. Finale. Pesante. Presto
CD7
01. Symphony No. 38 in D-Sharp Major, .: I. Adagio. Allegro
02. Symphony No. 38 in D-Sharp Major, .: II. Andante
03. Symphony No. 38 in D-Sharp Major, .: III. Finale. Presto
04. Symphony No. 4 in A-Sharp Major, Op. 90, .: I. Allegro vivace
05. Symphony No. 4 in A-Sharp Major, Op. 90, .: II. Andante con moto
06. Symphony No. 4 in A-Sharp Major, Op. 90, .: III. Con moto moderato
07. Symphony No. 4 in A-Sharp Major, Op. 90, .: IV. Saltarello (Presto)
CD8
01. Verklärte Nacht, Op. 4, .
02. Study Terezín 1943, .
03. Symphony No. 5 in C-Sharp Minor, .: IV. Adagietto. Sehr langsam
04. Symphony No. 2 in C-Sharp Minor, .: I. Urlicht. Sehr feierlich, aber schlicht
This 8-CD box devoted to the art of Jiří Bělohlávek is a representative collection of his career in the studios. The survey includes six recordings previously unreleased on CD: Suk’s Fairy Tale, Op.16, Janáček’s Sinfonietta and Taras Bulba, Ravel’s Ma mère l’Oye and the Pavane, and Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra.
His first recordings date from the years when he was conductor of the Brno Philharmonic, an appointment that followed his success the previous year as a finalist in the Karajan International Conducting Competition. In 1977 he took on the Prague Symphony, Václav Smetáček’s old orchestra, before Bělohlávek succeeded Neumann at the Czech Philharmonic in 1990 – a short-lived venture, though he continued to conduct and record with them. He founded the Prague Philharmonia in 1994, directed the BBC Symphony and finally returned to helm the Czech Philharmonic in more harmonious circumstances in 2012.
Each disc here offers something that reflects aspects of his career, though the recordings are necessarily restricted to those made for Supraphon and Panton. He made around 300 recordings for the former, and the focus is on the three Czech orchestras closest to his development. Even though Supraphon did helpfully document his BBC period, there are no examples here of these foreign ventures.
The first disc is devoted to his March 1990 recording of Má Vlast, made in the Vladislav Hall of Prague Castle. This was his first recording of the work and one that was pretty much eclipsed by that made by Rafael Kubelík on his famous and triumphal return to Prague. The orchestral blend in the hall is not especially subtle and the strings sound rather metallic – an acoustical phenomenon presumably exacerbated by the unusual location. The 2014 Prague Spring traversal on Decca is altogether warmer in sound though the earlier reading has plenty of swagger and style.
Dvořák’s New World Symphony also reflects his first period with the Czech Philharmonic – there are no recordings from his second period as they are available elsewhere and well known – and offers a well-moulded reading not too dissimilar from subsequent ones on disc and DVD (see for example the Euroarts 2014 DVD cycle). There’s a lovely Serenade in E major with the newly minted strings of the Prague Philharmonia. Around the time that he recorded Suk in 1980 he was competing with most other leading Czech conductors in the repertoire. Válek split duties with him recording the composer with the Prague Symphony whilst Pešek and Neumann were expanding the discography with the Czech Philharmonic. There’s a splendid and witty Scherzo fantastique and a distinguished Fairy Tale made even more so by the presence of Josef Suk III who plays the long violin solo ravishingly. Bělohlávek’s view of this work remained very consistent – see the 1992 Chandos reading with the Czech Philharmonic where Bohumil Kotmel takes the solo with great refinement. Don’t overlook the Serenade in E flat major (Prague Philharmonia, 1996) on this all-Suk disc.
Disc 4 opens with Fibich’s Symphony No.3. This was part of a multi-conductorial LP assignment in Brno in 1981. Vronský took Symphony No.1 and Waldhans No.2. This was intended to supplant Šejna’s famous cycle (not possible interpretatively, but sound production values had moved on). Nevertheless, Bělohlávek shows real affinity for Fibich’s idiom, even if Waldhans in particular probes that bit deeper in his reading of No.2. Both Janáček recordings date from 1977. Košler recorded both the Sinfonietta and Taras Bulba in the same year for Supraphon with the Czech Philharmonic, so there was quite a lot of competition for the purchaser, the national orchestra matched against the composer’s hometown band, where František Jílek was the reigning Brno champion of the composer’s music. The rustic Moravian winds and brass make a decisive contribution here.
I will single out disc five because it’s claimed in the booklet that it presents two recordings that have never appeared before at all, let alone on CD, namely Martinů’s Overture for Orchestra, a larky baroque fiesta, and the early Rhapsody for Large Orchestra of 1928, saturated with Dvořákian elements in its central panel. But they most certainly have appeared before, on SU 3743-2 031 so maybe something has been lost in translation when it comes to the notes: maybe what was meant was that these are premiere recordings of these pieces, which I believe is true. There’s a superb Parables – in which he followed in the recording footsteps of Turnovský and Neumann - and an equally fine Estampes, one of Martinů’s late masterpieces. Then we delve back into the vaults for the Ravel diptych, performances dating from 1973 and the very early days of his LP catalogue – with the Czech Philharmonic, perhaps surprisingly given the date, not the Brno Philharmonic. There’s more Martinů in disc six – Tre ricercari, a digital update of Turnovský and Neumann’s earlier stereo LPs. Bartók’s Divertimeto has been on CD before – it dates from 1973 – possibly because it’s with the Czech Philharmonic but the Concerto for Orchestra with the Prague Symphony (the Prahy FOK) has not. It’s quite a rare example of Bělohlávek conducting Bartók.
Standard symphonies occupy the penultimate disc: Mozart’s Prague Symphony – with the Prague Philharmonia in 2002 – and Mendelsohn’s Italian with the Czech Phil in 2006. They have been selected presumably to explore the Classical and Romantic repertoires that may have sometimes been overlooked when considering his legacy, which is very strongly tied to the music of his native soil. The final disc is a bit of a catch-all. Verklärte Nacht and Pavel Haas’ powerful Study for String Orchestra come from a disc played by the New Czech Chamber Orchestra in 1994. Then there are two excerpts from Mahler symphonies. Dagmar Peckova sings Urlicht from the Second – this excerpt was part of her Berio-and-Mahler Supraphon CD - and there’s the Adagietto from the Fifth; both these last with the Prague Philharmonia in 1995-96.
These eight CDs offer a fair and thoughtful summation of Bělohlávek’s studio legacy and demonstrate the high level of interpretative control and consistency he displayed throughout his career. I’m sure I’m not alone in hoping that in addition to the numerous downloads available, Supraphon and other labels will revisit their archives and present more examples of Bělohlávek’s art in CD format.
CD1
01. My Country, .: Vyšehrad
02. My Country, .: Vltava
03. My Country, .: Šárka
04. My Country, .: From Bohemian Fields and Groves
05. My Country, .: Tábor
06. My Country, .: Blaník
CD2
01. Symphony No. 9 in E-Sharp Minor, Op. 95, .: I. Adagio. Allegro molto
02. Symphony No. 9 in E-Sharp Minor, Op. 95, .: II. Largo
03. Symphony No. 9 in E-Sharp Minor, Op. 95, .: IV. Scherzo. Molto vivace
04. Symphony No. 9 in E-Sharp Minor, Op. 95, .: VII. Allegro con fuoco
05. Serenade in E-Sharp Major, Op. 22, .: Moderato
06. Serenade in E-Sharp Major, Op. 22, .: Tempo di valse
07. Serenade in E-Sharp Major, Op. 22, .: Scherzo. Vivace
08. Serenade in E-Sharp Major, Op. 22, .: Larghetto
09. Serenade in E-Sharp Major, Op. 22, .: Finale. Allegro vivace
CD3
01. Fantastic Scherzo, Op. 25, .
02. Fairy Tale, Op. 16, .: I. About the Faithful Love of Radúz and Mahulena and Their Sorrows. Adagio, ma non troppo
03. Fairy Tale, Op. 16, .: II. The Game of the Swans and the Peacocks. A la polka
04. Fairy Tale, Op. 16, .: III. Funeral Music. Andante sostenuto
05. Fairy Tale, Op. 16, .: IV. Runa´s Curse and How It Was Broken by Love. Allegro appassionato
06. Serenade in E-Flat Major, Op. 6, .: Andante con moto
07. Serenade in E-Flat Major, Op. 6, .: Allegro ma non troppo e grazioso
08. Serenade in E-Flat Major, Op. 6, .: Adagio
09. Serenade in E-Flat Major, Op. 6, .: Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo presto
CD4
01. Symphony No. 3 in E-Sharp Minor, Op. 53, .: I. Allegro inquieto
02. Symphony No. 3 in E-Sharp Minor, Op. 53, .: II. Allegro con fuoco. Adagio
03. Symphony No. 3 in E-Sharp Minor, Op. 53, .: III. Scherzo. Vivo e grazioso-Andante con moto
04. Symphony No. 3 in E-Sharp Minor, Op. 53, .: IV. Allegro maestoso. Allegro vivace
05. Sinfonietta, .: I. Allegretto
06. Sinfonietta, .: II. Andante
07. Sinfonietta, .: III. Moderato
08. Sinfonietta, .: IV. Allegretto
09. Sinfonietta, .: V. Andante con moto. Allegretto
10. Taras Bulba, .: The Death of Andrei
11. Taras Bulba, .: The Death of Ostap
12. Taras Bulba, .: The Prophecy and Death of Taras Bulba
CD5
01. Overture for Orchestra, H.345
02. Rhapsody-Allegro symphonique, H.171
03. The Parables for Large Orchestra, .: The Parable of a Sculpture. Andante pastorale
04. The Parables for Large Orchestra, .: The Parable of a Garden. Poco moderato-Allegro molto
05. The Parables for Large Orchestra, .: The Parable of a Navire. Poco Allegro
06. Estampes, .: Andante
07. Estampes, .: Adagio. Allegro moderato-Tempo
08. Estampes, .: Poco Allegro
09. Ma mere l´Oye, .: Pavane de la Belle au bois dormant
10. Ma mere l´Oye, .: Petit Poucet
11. Ma mere l´Oye, .: Laideronette, impératrice des Pagodes
12. Ma mere l´Oye, .: Les entretiens de la Belle et de la Bete
13. Ma mere l´Oye, .: Le Jardin féerique
14. Pavane for the Late Infanta, .
CD6
01. Tre ricercari, .: Allegro poco
02. Tre ricercari, .: Largo
03. Tre ricercari, .: Allegro
04. Divertimento, .: Allegro non troppo
05. Divertimento, .: Molto adagio
06. Divertimento, .: Allegro assai
07. Concerto, .: I. Introduzione. Andante non troppo
08. Concerto, .: II. Giuoco delle copie. Allegretto scherzando
09. Concerto, .: III. Elegia. Andante, non troppo
10. Concerto, .: IV. Intermezzo interrotto. Allegretto
11. Concerto, .: V. Finale. Pesante. Presto
CD7
01. Symphony No. 38 in D-Sharp Major, .: I. Adagio. Allegro
02. Symphony No. 38 in D-Sharp Major, .: II. Andante
03. Symphony No. 38 in D-Sharp Major, .: III. Finale. Presto
04. Symphony No. 4 in A-Sharp Major, Op. 90, .: I. Allegro vivace
05. Symphony No. 4 in A-Sharp Major, Op. 90, .: II. Andante con moto
06. Symphony No. 4 in A-Sharp Major, Op. 90, .: III. Con moto moderato
07. Symphony No. 4 in A-Sharp Major, Op. 90, .: IV. Saltarello (Presto)
CD8
01. Verklärte Nacht, Op. 4, .
02. Study Terezín 1943, .
03. Symphony No. 5 in C-Sharp Minor, .: IV. Adagietto. Sehr langsam
04. Symphony No. 2 in C-Sharp Minor, .: I. Urlicht. Sehr feierlich, aber schlicht
This 8-CD box devoted to the art of Jiří Bělohlávek is a representative collection of his career in the studios. The survey includes six recordings previously unreleased on CD: Suk’s Fairy Tale, Op.16, Janáček’s Sinfonietta and Taras Bulba, Ravel’s Ma mère l’Oye and the Pavane, and Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra.
His first recordings date from the years when he was conductor of the Brno Philharmonic, an appointment that followed his success the previous year as a finalist in the Karajan International Conducting Competition. In 1977 he took on the Prague Symphony, Václav Smetáček’s old orchestra, before Bělohlávek succeeded Neumann at the Czech Philharmonic in 1990 – a short-lived venture, though he continued to conduct and record with them. He founded the Prague Philharmonia in 1994, directed the BBC Symphony and finally returned to helm the Czech Philharmonic in more harmonious circumstances in 2012.
Each disc here offers something that reflects aspects of his career, though the recordings are necessarily restricted to those made for Supraphon and Panton. He made around 300 recordings for the former, and the focus is on the three Czech orchestras closest to his development. Even though Supraphon did helpfully document his BBC period, there are no examples here of these foreign ventures.
The first disc is devoted to his March 1990 recording of Má Vlast, made in the Vladislav Hall of Prague Castle. This was his first recording of the work and one that was pretty much eclipsed by that made by Rafael Kubelík on his famous and triumphal return to Prague. The orchestral blend in the hall is not especially subtle and the strings sound rather metallic – an acoustical phenomenon presumably exacerbated by the unusual location. The 2014 Prague Spring traversal on Decca is altogether warmer in sound though the earlier reading has plenty of swagger and style.
Dvořák’s New World Symphony also reflects his first period with the Czech Philharmonic – there are no recordings from his second period as they are available elsewhere and well known – and offers a well-moulded reading not too dissimilar from subsequent ones on disc and DVD (see for example the Euroarts 2014 DVD cycle). There’s a lovely Serenade in E major with the newly minted strings of the Prague Philharmonia. Around the time that he recorded Suk in 1980 he was competing with most other leading Czech conductors in the repertoire. Válek split duties with him recording the composer with the Prague Symphony whilst Pešek and Neumann were expanding the discography with the Czech Philharmonic. There’s a splendid and witty Scherzo fantastique and a distinguished Fairy Tale made even more so by the presence of Josef Suk III who plays the long violin solo ravishingly. Bělohlávek’s view of this work remained very consistent – see the 1992 Chandos reading with the Czech Philharmonic where Bohumil Kotmel takes the solo with great refinement. Don’t overlook the Serenade in E flat major (Prague Philharmonia, 1996) on this all-Suk disc.
Disc 4 opens with Fibich’s Symphony No.3. This was part of a multi-conductorial LP assignment in Brno in 1981. Vronský took Symphony No.1 and Waldhans No.2. This was intended to supplant Šejna’s famous cycle (not possible interpretatively, but sound production values had moved on). Nevertheless, Bělohlávek shows real affinity for Fibich’s idiom, even if Waldhans in particular probes that bit deeper in his reading of No.2. Both Janáček recordings date from 1977. Košler recorded both the Sinfonietta and Taras Bulba in the same year for Supraphon with the Czech Philharmonic, so there was quite a lot of competition for the purchaser, the national orchestra matched against the composer’s hometown band, where František Jílek was the reigning Brno champion of the composer’s music. The rustic Moravian winds and brass make a decisive contribution here.
I will single out disc five because it’s claimed in the booklet that it presents two recordings that have never appeared before at all, let alone on CD, namely Martinů’s Overture for Orchestra, a larky baroque fiesta, and the early Rhapsody for Large Orchestra of 1928, saturated with Dvořákian elements in its central panel. But they most certainly have appeared before, on SU 3743-2 031 so maybe something has been lost in translation when it comes to the notes: maybe what was meant was that these are premiere recordings of these pieces, which I believe is true. There’s a superb Parables – in which he followed in the recording footsteps of Turnovský and Neumann - and an equally fine Estampes, one of Martinů’s late masterpieces. Then we delve back into the vaults for the Ravel diptych, performances dating from 1973 and the very early days of his LP catalogue – with the Czech Philharmonic, perhaps surprisingly given the date, not the Brno Philharmonic. There’s more Martinů in disc six – Tre ricercari, a digital update of Turnovský and Neumann’s earlier stereo LPs. Bartók’s Divertimeto has been on CD before – it dates from 1973 – possibly because it’s with the Czech Philharmonic but the Concerto for Orchestra with the Prague Symphony (the Prahy FOK) has not. It’s quite a rare example of Bělohlávek conducting Bartók.
Standard symphonies occupy the penultimate disc: Mozart’s Prague Symphony – with the Prague Philharmonia in 2002 – and Mendelsohn’s Italian with the Czech Phil in 2006. They have been selected presumably to explore the Classical and Romantic repertoires that may have sometimes been overlooked when considering his legacy, which is very strongly tied to the music of his native soil. The final disc is a bit of a catch-all. Verklärte Nacht and Pavel Haas’ powerful Study for String Orchestra come from a disc played by the New Czech Chamber Orchestra in 1994. Then there are two excerpts from Mahler symphonies. Dagmar Peckova sings Urlicht from the Second – this excerpt was part of her Berio-and-Mahler Supraphon CD - and there’s the Adagietto from the Fifth; both these last with the Prague Philharmonia in 1995-96.
These eight CDs offer a fair and thoughtful summation of Bělohlávek’s studio legacy and demonstrate the high level of interpretative control and consistency he displayed throughout his career. I’m sure I’m not alone in hoping that in addition to the numerous downloads available, Supraphon and other labels will revisit their archives and present more examples of Bělohlávek’s art in CD format.
Year 2018 | Classical | Discography | FLAC / APE
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