Search - Ivan Kusnjer, Josef [Composer] Suk, Libor Pesek :: Josef Suk: Asrael; A Summer's Tale; The Ripening; Epilogue; Fairy Tale; Praga

Great music wonderfully performed

R. Lieblich | Arlington, VA USA | 01/01/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I certainly agree with Mr. Kho's 2006 review about the quality of both music and performance. I generally disagree with the notion that there's something about a "home" orchestra that makes their performances of native composers inherently superior. But there's no denying that the Czech Philhamonic has this music in their bones, and Neumann and Pesek are masters of Suk's idiom. Whatever the reason may be, this is far and away the best introduction to the mature music of Josef Suk.



Suk was Dvorak's pupil and married Dvorak's daughter Otilka, who died young (and whose death permeates Asrael). His earlier works naturally sound a lot like Dvorak and are well worth hearing in their own right. His Serenade for Strings and Fantastic Scherzo, neither found in this collection, are probably his two most-played orchestral works (with Asrael probably third). They are well worth hearing, as is his earlier symphony, also not in the box (as Mr. Kho notes). But the heart of his oeuvre is found in these recordings, and that heart beats strongly.



Asrael has been the subject of several recordings (and several Amazon reviews). It is not "fun" music, but not all music is supposed to be fun. It's a rewarding experience for what it is -- a symphony haunted by death. Not gloomy, but very serious -- melodically strong and brilliantly orchestrated. Zrani ("The Ripening") is an unusual piece because of its loose structure over a span of more than half an hour, which makes it hard to grasp in full on early hearings. The quality of the music sustains interest anyway. And am I the only one who hears echoes of Mahler's First in the opening measures? The other works are of similar quality.



Old-timers like me will remember performances of several Suk works on Supraphon LPs (some taken from even earlier 78s) by Talich and the Czesh Phil. Through the dim sonics can be heard some wonderfully sympathetic performances (Talich and Suk knew each other). But recommending Talich in Suk is a bit like recommending Furtwaengler in Beethoven -- the world has moved on, and recordings from that era are a specialized taste. If you like both Mahler and Dvorak (and perhaps even if you don't), you should not be without this music, and this is the version to get.



To reiterate the subject line -- Great music wonderfully performed. See for yourself."