Search - Leos Janacek, Charles Mackerras, Mikhail Rudy :: Janácek: Instrumental & Orchestral Works

Lesser known Janacek at bargain price

R. K. Sedlacek-Parker | AL, United States | 08/24/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a must have for all who love Janacek's unusual music. You get to hear rarities in truly competent and moving performances. Pianist Mikhail Rudy is ideal. Sir Charles Mackerras' immense affinity for Janacek's oeuvre is almost legendary by now and quite rightly so. Cellist Gary Hoffman and violinist Pierre Amoyal nicely complement these high level renditions. Now available on EMI's Double Forte, i.e. 2 CD's for the price of one. All DDD."

Great addition to the library

Jeffrey Jones | Northern California, USA | 06/12/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"For the purposes of my review, I'll stick to my specialty - the piano music. Rudolf Firkusny's readings of this music have long been the standards; he studied piano with Janacek (an odd choice - he wasn't much of a pianist), and his style for Janacek reflects the peculiar style of his teacher, as well as having a magnificent sweep of color. No one else could play the Sonata 1.X.1905 with such an incredible swath of colors. Since then, though, Janacek has become one of the best-played composers today; it is very difficult to find a bad recording of his music, and particularly the music for piano. Between the readings of Andsnes, Goode, and Schiff, there are several fantastic recordings to choose from.Enter Mikhail Rudy, who continues this happy tradition, not without some issues. The Sonata 1.X.1905 is first up on the CD dedicated to the solo piano works; the tempi are in a good midrange for projecting the scope and meaning of this intense music, the range of dynamics is superb, and his phrasing is glorious. This is technically very awkward music, by the way. The only complaint I have is that he does not observe some of the microscopic, but crucial rests that Janacek notated in the second movement. (To be fair, Firkusny doesn't either.)Next up is V Mlhách (In the Mist), which the writer of this review played during his time at Oberlin Conservatory. In Rudy's hands, the first movmeent flows beautifully, with a little bit of physical resistance felt in the rubato; the second movement could, again, benefit from a closer look at Janacek's rests; the third movement is glorious, mournful and sentimental without going over the edge; unfortunately, it does not end well, as the fourth movement is very loud, brittle and harsh, and the melodic line is often broken to the point that it is unrecognizable. Even when played smoothly, it is still the hardest of the four to hold together, and it really does not help that Rudy bangs through it.One failed movement does not ruin the album, though. This is major addition to the Janacek library."