Search - Josef Suk, Libor Pesek, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra :: Josef Suk: A Summer's Tale, Op.29

Stunning

Mogulmeister | Boston, MA | 12/07/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"How is it that Josef Suk's music is not part of the standard repertory? The Asrael Symphony is magnificent and deeply moving (the Behlolavek/Czech Philharmonic performance is the one to get), and A Summer's Tale, which followed Asrael in composition, is no less wonderful. First, this should be called a symphony, not a suite. It is symphonic in scope and content. Second, pay no attention to the titles of the movements--they are about as relevant as Bruckner's title "Romantic" for his 4th symphony. This is music about coping with loss, and to call it "moving" almost diminishes its power. The ending of "A Summer's Tale" is magical, ethereal, and deeply moving, all at the same time. Of the 3 versions of this work I've heard (in addition to Mackerras/Decca and Mogrelia/Naxos), this is a clear first choice."

Don't miss this piece!

MartinP | Nijmegen, The Netherlands | 02/09/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I share the previous reviewer's incomprehension of the fact that this music is so little known and so rarely played. The astonishing `Summer tale' comprises some of the most beautiful sounds ever extracted from a symphony orchestra, and its otherworldly ending must surely count among the most stunning in all of music. This piece casts an extraordinary spell and haunts me for days after every time I listen to it. Think of an exact midpoint between Dvorak and Mahler and you might get some idea what to expect, though Suk is in fact completely original and inhabits a soundworld entirely his own.



Summer Tale is cast in five movements with descriptive titles, through which a motto theme with a distinctly Eastern European turn winds its way. The first movement is mainly concerned with the exposition of the core material. In between the signature sounds of much divided low strings and mysterious, distant fanfares it develops into a kind of shadowy waltz. The second movement brilliantly evokes the stagnant heat of a summer noon, a lazy march tune in the clarinet meandering along over high tremolo strings, with only a brief interruption by another distant brass chorale. The highly original third movement is scored almost exclusively for two cors anglais, singing a melancholy canon over a strumming harp accompaniment. The fourth movement is a wild, slightly diabolical scherzo, with short motives whirling by and producing sudden violent outburst. At the very end it calms down over fragments of the motto theme, much as if dawn breaks on a nightmarish scene. The last movement, however, doesn't depict day, but night. It is dedicated in large part to the motto theme and is suffused by a moving peacefulness and a sense of great mystery and gravitas. There are extraordinary passages for violas, celli and double basses divided in twelve parts; luminous harmonies carry the listener along to the unforgettable end. The writing throughout has a gossamer quality; it is full of sophisticated, complex rhythms, brilliant feats of orchestration and dense, but never opaque polyphony.



It is this last quality that Pesek excels in bringing out. His approach to the music is subdued, almost reticent, but always clear and transparent. However, to my ears he fails to plumb the depths of mystery the way his only serious modern contender, Suk: Summer Tale / Fantastic Scherzo - Charles Mackerras / Czech Philharmonic, does (not counting Pesek's own other recording of this piece with the Czech Philharmonic on Supraphon, which I'm not familiar with). Maybe the sound of the Liverpool strings is just a bit too thin; surely, those twelvefold divided passages are lacking something in tonal richness. It is also regrettable that Pesek omits the ad lib organ pedal that Mackerras does use to such telling effect in the final movement; it is in a way symptomatic of the former's slightly Calvinistic, matter-of-fact approach. That is not to say there isn't a lot to enjoy here, because there is - this is a dedicated and well-considered reading. But if you are going for this piece, and you should, then I think Mackerras is the wiser choice. He gives you the bonus of the wonderful Fantastic Scherzo to boot, as well as rather more sumptuous, atmospheric sound without the intrusive drone of heavy traffic that occasionally mars the Virgin take.

"