Suite From the Cunning Little Vixen

On this CD:

1. Symphony No. 9 in E minor ("From the New World," first published as No. 5), B. 178 (Op. 95)
Composed by Antonin Dvorak

Conducted by Peter Altricher

2. The Cunning Little Vixen, suite for orchestra (arranged and orchestrated by Václav Talich)
Composed by Leos Janacek

Conducted by Peter Altricher

Tracks:

Sinfonietta: Fanfares
Sinfonietta: The Castle
Sinfonietta: The Queen's Monastary
Sinfonietta: The Street
Sinfonietta: The Town
Lachian Dances: Starodavny
Lachian Dances: Pozehnany
Lachian Dances: Dymak
Lachian Dances: Starodavny II
Lachian Dances: Celadensky
Lachian Dances: Pilky
Taras Bulba: The Death Of Andrei
Taras Bulba: The Death Of Ostap
Taras Bulba: Prophecy And Death Of Taras Bulba

Tracks:

The Cunning Little Vixen - Ste: Part One
The Cunning Little Vixen - Ste: Part Two
Jealousy (Original Prld To Jenufa)
From The House Of The Dead: Prld
The Makropulos Case: Act I
The Makropulos Case: Act II
The Makropulos Case: Act III

Customer Reviews:

Lives up to the rave review by Mr. Hollingsworth.......2003-01-24

I've become a recent devotee of Janacek's music, in particular with regards to his most folk-inspired works (Lachian Dances and Rakos Rakoczy). I'm always on the lookout for worthy recordings of the Lachian Dances and the previous review seemed positive. I was not disappointed. Compared to the Decca Double Decker with Mackerras and Huybrechts, Srebenier extracts a bit more verve and fun from his players. The Decca recording is indeed impressive in its own right (I'd give it 4-and-a-half stars), but the Czech State Philharmonic and Srebenier seem to be genuinely enjoying themselves playing on "home turf" as it were. In other words, although the Decca recording sounds more polished from a technical standpoint, the playing sounds a little stately or "officious" (for lack of a better word) compared to the Reference recording. If you already have the Decca recording, by all means, go for this one as well.

Serebrier at his finest: The best Janacek discs!.......2002-07-19

For decades, Mackerras' recording of Janacek's Taras Bulba and Sinfonietta has been deemed the best in the catalogue, against which all others have been measured. The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (VPO), which knows as much of Janacek as they do of Bruckner, played the works with authority and with real feeling. The strings are of real bloom and weight, the woodwinds crispy, the brass blazen and glorious, and the percussion mesmerizing. Sir Charles Mackerras, among the best of Janacek's interpreters (along with Bretislav Bakala, Frantisek Jilek, & Vaclav Neumann earlier), gives the renditions of vividness and imagination and the phrasings are as genuine and ideal as expected.

But,...here comes this recording! Let me say upfront that Serebrier measures up to Mackerras in every way. And the Czech State Philharmonic (of Brno) is as authoritative as the VPO, with every bar & every detail so well caught and conveyed even at higher levels than its Viennese rival. Furthermore, the Czech State Philharmonic brings out more authenticity of these works, thanks in some part to the recording. For example, listen to the second movement of Sinfonietta "The Castle." Notice how a sense of mystery, after, say 1'35", becomes compellingly restraint and haunting (the strings and woodwinds must be credited for this, as well as Serebrier, who conveys these dimensions more successfully than even Belohlavek). How about the third movement "The Queen's Monastary", which is played with real beauty and eloquence, with a certain feeling of nostalgia and sadness. Exemplary, even in regards to the other works like Taras Bulba and the Lachian Dances. I would hesitate to replace my Decca recording of the Lachian Dances well served by Francois Huybrechts and the London Philharmonic, especially since it's coupled with Janacek's Vec Makropulos-which London Decca foolishly deleted-along with other Janacek's operas extremely well executed by Mackerras, the VPO, and its wonderful casts (remember Elisabeth Soderstrom?). Instead, Serebrier's edition is well worth having: it has plenty of vitality and enjoyment. And the way Serebrier brings out the tragic menance and drama of Taras Bulba is idiomatic and purely exciting. The closing of Taras Bulba is done triumphantly and with appropriate grandioseness, although the organ should have more of an imposing presence.

Reference Recordings (RR), which compiled the original 1995-1996 recordings of these works, includes the second disc (under the two for the price of one scheme). This disc contains selections from Janacek's popular operas: Suite from "The Cunning Little Vixen", preludes to "Jenufa" (entitled "Jealously") and "From the House of the Dead", and Serebrier's Symphonic Synthesis of "Vec Makropulos." This second disc is as every bit enjoyable as the first disc containing Sinfonietta, Taras Bulba, and the Lachian Dances. The "Cunning Little Vixen" Suite (in the Talich/Smetacek edition) is done with upmost vividness and flair. But the Vec Makropulos synthesis is every bit as paradigmatic. Serebrier, a very successful composer in his own right, confessed the challenge he faced in coming up with the synthesis, which no one has done before. Well, it pays off. The synthesis upholds the essence of Janacek's very demanding opera, while not minimizing its emotional and musical impact. Moreover, the Czech State Philharmonic comes up huge again (the prelude comes off well and with fire under their musicianship).

So, an highly enjoyable two-disc set that in many ways outshine Mackerras' Decca recording. As alluded to earlier, the quality of the recording is part of this album's success. The sound is more "Czech" in feeling and extremely well focused. You might be tempted to buy Belohlavek's Chandos recording of especially the Sinfonietta and Taras Bulba. Chandos likewise offer, for the price of one, a two-disc (compiled) set of these works, plus Fiddler's Child as well as Idyll and Suite (both for Strings idiomatically played by Gregory Rose and the Jupiter Orchestra), but minus the "House of the Dead" prelude and "Vec Makropulos." The Chandos album is well worth having, though Belohlavek's approach to Sinfonietta and Taras Bulba is not as ideal as Serebrier or Mackerras (the brass of the Czech Philharmonic is surprisingly not as glorious and blazen as the Czech State Philharmonic or the VPO and their strings lack tonal radiance and body comparatively speaking). Otherwise, Belohlavek is better on the other works, like Fiddler's Child and the "Cunning Little Vixen" Suite.

Tracks:

Sarka
The Water Goblin, Op.107
I. Andante Con Moto - Piu Mosso - Tempo I
II. Allegro Ma Non Troppo E Grazioso - Poco Meno Mosso - Tempo I
III. Adagio - Piu Andante - Tempo I
IV. Allegro Giocoso, Ma Non Troppo Presto
The Cunning Little Vixen - Suite

Tracks:

I. Moderato
II. Allegretto
III. Allegro Vivacissimo
I. Allegro Assai
II. Andante Moderato
III. Menuett
IV. Finale. Allegro Assai
III. Preghiera. Andante Non Tanto
Prague Carnival
I. Adagio - Allegro Molto
II. Largo
III. Molto Vivace
IV. Allegro con Fuoco
III. Amorous Couple

Customer Reviews:

A Czech master who deserves his legendary status.......2005-11-07

Amazon has carelessly neglected to indicate that this two-CD set is part of the Great Condcutors of the Century series. Vaclav Talich began recording in the 30s, and despite being born in 1883, thirteen years before the death of Brahms, he survived to make modern recordings. Everything in this set is in mono from 1951-54, made with Czech orchestra (all but one item is with Talich's own Czech Philharmonic).

By general agreement Talich is the gold standard for all the classic Czech composers, chiefly Dvorak, Smetana, Suk, and to a lesser degree Janacek (since he didn't record the operas, only orchestral suites from them--the suite from Janacek's The Cunning Little Vixen is represented here). Talich's secret was a warm, humane conducting style which coaxed glowing tone from his musicians, along with alert, lively rhythms. But then, how can one really describe how a master does it?

Since all the Czech selections here are great, there's no need to analyze them--the reviewer below has at least named each item, unlike Amazon. I was particularly captivated by Talich's performance of a neglected Dvorak tone poem, The Water Goblin. Suk's Serenade fro Strings is in the same relaxed, balmy genre as Dvorak's better-known serenade.

The two deviations form Czech fare are a single movement, meltingly done, from Tchaikovsky's "Mozariana" Suite #4 and a Mozart Sym. #33. The Mozart is a live performance in fairly murky radio sound; it reveals Talich to be a brisk, streamlined conductor of Mozart but with plenty of charm and ease in the phrasing. The big work on CD 2, the Dvorak "New World," is caught in somewhat wobbly sound from 1954 and although excellent (it's quite lyrical and full of tangy Czech woodwind playing) could have been replaced. This piece has been recorded too often to claim that Talich is incomparable in it.

All in all, here is one of those rare installments in this series where everything comes together: the conductor is genuinely great, the material is fairly unknown, the performances rise to the highest standard. Five stars, definitely.

Great Conductors of 20th Century= Best Reissues of the 21st.......2003-03-27

It's sad that the "Great Conductors of the 20th Century" reissue series has not gotten more notice on Amazon and in other places, because it has my vote for the best reissue program thus far of the 21st Century. Drawing from the archives of all the major classical labels (EMI, Sony, BMG, DG, Decca, Philips, Supraphon, etc.), EMI and IMG Artists have assembled a wonderful series of affordable two-disc sets by the leading conductors of the last century. And unlike its counterpart, "The Great Pianists of the 20th Century," which are basically compilations of material already available on other CDs, the "Great Conductors" features rare and, for the most part, previously unreleased performances!

This particular CD, Volume 24, features the great Czech conductor Vaclav Talich, who led the world-renowned Czech Philharmonic for nearly a quarter century. As the track information is not abundantly clear above, allow me to mention that these discs feature memorable performances of Smetana's "Sarka" from "Ma Vlast" and "Prague Carnival," Dvorak's symphonic poem "The Water Goblin" and "New World" Symphony (a Talich-specialty), and Mozart's Symphony No. 33. Also here are rarer works, nonetheless beautifully played, like Suk's "Serenade for String Orchestra," Janacek's "The Cunning Little Vixen Suite" and Benda's "Symphony for String Orchestra," a piece that Talich single-handedly introduced into the Czech repertoire. Finally, Tchaikovsky's "Orchestral Suite No.4," aka "Mozartiana," finds Talich conducting the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra instead of in his usually place with the Czech Philharmonic. All of the recordings were made between 1951 and 1954, and while the performances are in mono, they sound wonderful.

Customer Reviews:

An overgrown path to the opera suites.......2001-02-28

Janacek opera suites present an unexplored new era because actually Janacek never have considered to write orchestral suites even to one of his seven operae

Janacek used to regard his operae as entities with a whole content of their own who did'nt need any refinement for orchestral listeners .

Idiosincrastic and Whimsical are only few titles which tried to depict Janacek music. Dvorak did'nt even try to disclose his sheer detest of what he heard in it.

We need however to admit that Janacek had managed to plant in our minds the seeds of affection and wonder eventhough from the first glimpse his music is not easy to digest.

The opera suites emerged to the concert halls thanks to the courtesy of the famous Czech conductors Tallich, Jilek and Smolka who skillfuly arranged all these almost forgotten treasures which probably would have been lost in provincial Czech Opera casts without their fertile work. .

An overgrown path to the opera suites.......2001-02-28

Janacek opera suites present an unexplored new era because actually Janacek never have considered to write orchestral suites even to one of his seven operae

Janacek used to regard his operae as entities with a whole content of their own who did'nt need any refinement for orchestral listeners .

Idiosincrastic and Whimsical are only few titles which tried to depict Janacek music. Dvorak did'nt even try to disclose his sheer detest of what he heard in it.

We need however to admit that Janacek had managed to plant in our minds the seeds of affection and wonder eventhough from the first glimpse his music is not easy to digest.

Customer Reviews:

Beautifully idiomatic performance.......1998-12-24

I loved this recording. The Czech Philharmonic responds wonderfully to Neumann and to Jilek and the broadcoast recordings have survived the transfer to CD surprisingly well. Amarus is rarely recorded and this is a valuable addition to the repertoire. The singing is all first rate and the piece makes its impression clearly and simply. Though not a major work, Amarus is a yet another powerful statement of Janacek's passionate and skillful use of voice and orchestra. The sound of the Czech Philharmonic strings, brass, and woodwinds is warm and expressive. The only reservations I have would be the inevitable vagaries of live broadcast recordings. I much prefer an occasional overblown note or out of tune violin note to some of the sterile studio recordings which populate the market. Vaclav Neumann is an underrated conductor. He draws warm, flowing interpretations from his musicans and they seem to play with real love of the music. Jilek is also effective in his rendition of the suite from "House of the Dead." American record collectors who are not familiar with the Czech Philharmonic should investigate this recording.

Music From "Gardens Of The World With Audrey Hepburn"

Average customer rating:

Music From "Gardens Of The World With Audrey Hepburn"

Manufacturer: Conifer
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Chants | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0000024CS
Release Date: 1994-03-01

Leos Janacek: The Makropoulos Case / Cunning Little Vixen / Preludes

Average customer rating:

A magnificent sampler from Janacek's operas
Wonderfully lush recording from Serebrier
A Warning
A Breathtaking Opera

Leos Janacek: The Makropoulos Case / Cunning Little Vixen / Preludes

Manufacturer: Reference Recordings
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Czech | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0000015AB
Release Date: 1996-10-22

Tracks:

The Cunning Little Vixen Suite: Part 1
The Cunning Little Vixen Suite: Part 2
Jealousy
From The House Of The Dead: Prelude
The Makropulos Case: Act I
The Makropulos Case: Act II
The Makropulos Case: Act III

Customer Reviews:

A magnificent sampler from Janacek's operas.......2006-01-11

Some of the comments here are incoherent, but this 1996 CD has no vocal material on it, even though the music is derived from four of Janacek's operas. The conductor, Jose Serebrier, long associated with Janacek's music, was a protoge of Leopold Stokowski, who made once-popular "symphonic syntheses" of Wagner operas and Boris Godunov. Serebrier follows in his footsteps with a synthesis from The Makropoulos Case that takes up half of this hour-long CD. The short suite from The Cunning Little Vixen was made by the legendary Czech conductor Vaclav Talich. The two remaining short preludes come from Janacek's first and last operas, Jealousy and From the House of the Dead.

Janacek, like Bartok, began in the idiom of folk songs and peasant dance rhythms, only to find his own modernist voice. Of the two, Janacek remained more loyal to tonality; some of the music could have come from Korngold in a sober moment. The Jealousy music still sounds like advanced Dvorak, while the very late From the House of the Dead echoes the Sinfonietta. Massed brass appears in both works, along with soaring string lines and pummeling percussion. All these works are exciting and make one want to run to play the complete operas.

Refernce is an audiophile label; they don't disappoint here in the perfectly balanced, natural sound, which makes the provincial Brno orchestra sound as god as it possibly could. In all, an excellent sampler of Janacek's amazingly fertile imaginaiton.

Wonderfully lush recording from Serebrier.......2002-02-10

I have had this CD for over a year now and find that it has become one that I return to again and again. This recording of suites, preludes and orchestral syntheses from Janacek's operas reinforces my belief that Janacek was one of the most emotionally direct composers of the 19th & 20th centuries.

The music here spans over 25 years of Janacek's operatic career, from the prelude Jealousy - originally intended for Jenufa - to the Prelude to From the House of the Dead, Janacek's final work. Everything here is emotionally affecting, full of lush string passages and surging climaxes. To some extent, the mosaic-like structure of his instrumental works such as the Sinfonietta is lessened in conjunction with the dramatic organization of opera, giving these works a more Romantic, narrative-driven feeling - a different view of the composer for those like myself who know him best through the instrumental compositions.

The performance and recording are wonderfully warm. Serebrier handles these works very well. Highly recommended

A Warning.......2002-01-03

I ordered this CD because I thought it would contain The Makropoulos Case in its entirety; but NO, it actually contains only an orchestral suite derived from the opera! So now I've warned you; if you're looking for the whole Makropoulos Case, look somewhere else because it's not here, folks.

That being said, the CD sounds wonderful; very well played, so 5 stars for the musicians, 3 stars for the misleading packaging!

A Breathtaking Opera.......2001-01-27

I had never heard this piece of music, although I'd heard OF it several times before, having read a review of Jessye Norman's rendition with the Met about five years or so ago. To the best of my knowledge, this is the only recording currently in print, and it does not disappoint.

Serebrier's conducting is tight and sympathetic to the story of an egomaniacal diva who is, by all appearances, a beautiful, albeit vain, Dorian Gray (she's actually well over 300 years old). Her voice and her looks have brought her far, but she's now out of the potion she originally mixed up and drank three centuries before, and she faces the possibility that her 300 years may catch up with her. Throughout the rest of the opera, she spends her time trying to reproduce the formula, and by the fitting finale, she realizes that immortality wasn't exactly the cat's pajamas in the first place.

This is my first outing with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra since the dissolution of what once was Czechoslovakia; they carry on the tradition of a slick production that even the fiercest Soviet Bloc stalwart would be proud to add to his or her collection. The music is lush but without overpowering a strong vocal performance, and the digital post-performance processing leaves you with the warmth that you could (once upon a time) only reach through the recording on vinyl. Sigh...

If you enjoyed Janacek's "Taras Bulba," this is the obvious progression from there. Pick up a copy, close your eyes, and allow yourself to be transported.

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