Janacek: Sinfonietta Op60; Taras Bulba, rhapsody

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
Charles Mackerras is the outstanding Janácek conductor of our era. He recorded the composer's largest orchestral work (indeed, with 16 trumpets, one of anyone's largest orchestral works), the Sinfonietta, some 40 years ago, but this newer digital production, featuring the incomparable Vienna Philharmonic and Mackerras's own research into the original text of the score, is about as powerful and imposing as music gets. The recording is truly spectacular: the deep tones of the organ and brazen clangor of deep bells in Taras Bulba have never been more impressively captured, while the charming Lachian Dances make an appealing filler for the first disc. On disc 2, a selection of the composer's quirkily charming chamber music rounds out an essential collection for anyone interested in this endlessly fascinating composer. --David Hurwitz

Tracks:

Sinfonietta: I. Allegretto
Sinfonietta: II. Andante
Sinfonietta: III. Moderato
Sinfonietta: IV. Allegretto
Sinfonietta: V. Andante con moto
Rhapsody For Orchestra 'Taras Bulba': I. The Death Of Andri
Rhapsody For Orchestra 'Taras Bulba': II. The Death Of Ostap
Rhapsody For Orchestra 'Taras Bulba': III. The Prophesy And Death Of Taras Bulba
Lachian Dances: I. Starodavny I
Lachian Dances: II. Potezhnany
Lachian Dances: III. Dymak
Lachian Dances: IV. Starodavny II
Lachian Dances: V. Celadensky
Lachian Dances: VI. Pilky

Tracks:

Suite For String Orchestra: I. Moderato
Suite For String Orchestra: II. Adagio
Suite For String Orchestra: III. Andante con moto
Suite For String Orchestra: IV. Presto - Andante - Presto
Suite For String Orchestra: V. Adagio
Suite For String Orchestra: VI. Andante
Mladi: I. Andante
Mladi: II. Moderato
III. Allegro
Mladi: IV. Con moto
Capriccio: I. Allegro
Capriccio: II. Adagio
Capriccio: III. Allegretto
Capriccio: IV. Andante
Concertino: I. Moderato
Contertino: II. Piu mosso
Concertino: III. Con Moto
Concertino: IV. Allegro

Amazon.com essential recording

Charles Mackerras is the outstanding Janácek conductor of our era. He recorded the composer's largest orchestral work (indeed, with 16 trumpets, one of anyone's largest orchestral works), the Sinfonietta, some 40 years ago, but this newer digital production, featuring the incomparable Vienna Philharmonic and Mackerras's own research into the original text of the score, is about as powerful and imposing as music gets. The recording is truly spectacular: the deep tones of the organ and brazen clangor of deep bells in Taras Bulba have never been more impressively captured, while the charming Lachian Dances make an appealing filler for the first disc. On disc 2, a selection of the composer's quirkily charming chamber music rounds out an essential collection for anyone interested in this endlessly fascinating composer. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Janacek 101 and at a bargain price.......2002-08-01

This album is probably the best single introduction to the music of this major and highly distinctive composer. The recordings of the Sinfonietta and Taras Bulba by Mackerras (one of the most prominent interpreters of Janacek's operas and orchestral works) are among the best available, with very wide ranging sound that vividly captures the sound of the organ and bells (in Taras Bulba), and the powerful brass playing from the Vienna Philharmonic. The Lachian Dances and the Suite for string orchestra are early works, which strongly reflect the influence of Dvorak, and the chamber works on the second disc express a more intimate, quirky side of his individuality.
A final word; if you are turned on by the Sinfonietta and/or Taras Bulba, you should check out the Slavonic Mass, a large scale work (one of his last and greatest) for chorus and full orchestra, based upon the ancient slavonic (meaning that it is sung in the old slavonic church vernacular instead of latin) version of the Roman Catholic mass. I can recommend the recordings of both Ancerl on Supraphon and Kubelik on the DG Originals series, as both are mid priced, in good sound, and both conductors, along with Mackerras, are among the premiere interpreters of Janacek.

an excellent introduction to Janacek's music.......2001-01-09

The first disk of this work is an excellent introduction to Janacek's music. Although it might seem odd that a British conductor leading the Vienna Phil would be the prime exponent of this body of work, Mackerras' recording of the Sinfonietta is probably the best on disk today, though Rattle's is also good. I have to admit a personal preference to the Kubelik DG recording, but, to my knowledge, it is only available on vinyl. The performance (and recording!) of Taras Bulba is excellent, as well.

My own preference would have been for a single disk recording. The Sinfonietta, Taras Bulba, and the Lachian Dances are probably sufficient, and the typical listener is not well-served by the additional disk (and additional cost!).

Everyone should have this recording of the Sinfonietta!.......1999-03-31

I am only commenting on the Sinfonietta. Mackerras is unexcelled in one of my ultimate pieces. The Vienna Phil would seem intuitively all wrong for this music, but Mackerras transforms the glowing tone of this great orchestra such that it totally serves the music. V, the mov't that makes or breaks a performance in my opinion, is overwhelming--as it should be. The wind soloists, notably the clarinetist and an amazing piccolo player, are exceptional. The strings, of course, have a wonderful tone, and a clarity that Janacek's music screams for (especially all the trills that they are call upon to do). The trumpets (a dozen), are well-behaved, and the timpani, again, incredibly important to this music, is well recorded--and played with lots of excitement. The final impact is not one of only excitement and a huge adrenalin rush, but of something deeper, a sense of gratification that Janacek wrote such a masterpiece, and that Mackerras recorded it for us. The other four movements are in this same vein of gratifying, white-hot intensity and beauty. Recommended at any price as one of the truly great recordings of the century!!!

Janacek: Sinfonietta Op60; Taras Bulba, rhapsody

Average customer rating:

Janacek: Sinfonietta Op60; Taras Bulba, rhapsody

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000IYN0
Release Date: 1999-05-18

Tracks:

Idyll For String Orchestra: I Andante
Idyll For String Orchestra: II Allegro - Moderato - Tempo I
Idyll For String Orchestra: III Moderato - Con moto - Tempo I
Idyll For String Orchestra: IV Allegro
Idyll For String Orchestra: V Adagio - Presto - Tempo I
Idyll For String Orchestra: VI Scherzo & Trio
Idyll For String Orchestra: VII Moderato
Suite For Strings: I Moderato
Suite For Strings: II Adagio
Suite For Strings: III Andante con moto -
Suite For Strings: IV Presto - Andante - Presto
Suite For Strings: V Adagio
Suite For Strings: VI Andante
Sinfonietta: I Allegretto
II Andante
III Moderato
IV Allegretto
V Andante con moto

Tracks:

Overture: Jealousy
The Fiddler's Child
Suite: The Cunning Little Vixen: I Andante
Suite: The Cunning Little Vixen: II Andante
Taras Bulba: I Death Of Andrei
Taras Bulba: II Death Of Ostap
Taras Bulba: III Prophecy And Death Of Taras Bulba

Average customer rating:

An outstanding Janacek collection, topped by a wild, totally convincing Sinfonietta
A near perfect Sinfonietta, a real "feast for the ears"

Janacek: Sinfonietta Op60; Taras Bulba, rhapsody

Manufacturer: Finlandia
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000HYAZ
Release Date: 1999-01-19

Tracks:

Sinfonietta: 1. Allegretto
Sinfonietta: 2. Andante
Sinfonietta: 3. Moderato
Sinfonietta: 4. Allegretto
Sinfonietta: 5. Andante con moto
Ballad Of Blanek
Fiddler's Child
Taras Bulba: I. The Death Of Andri
Taras Bulba: II. The Death Of Ostap
Taras Bulba: III. Prophecy And Death Of Taras Bulba

Customer Reviews:

An outstanding Janacek collection, topped by a wild, totally convincing Sinfonietta.......2006-07-13

My favorite approach to Janacek's ever-popular Sinfonietta is one of wild abadnon but with good intonation and balance. Andrew Davis delivers both here. The Royal Stockholm brass section chimes away with great freedom, but they play in tune and don't rasp. Davis's tempos are fast, his mood often dance-inspired, his textures light. Finlandia provides excellent sonics, as we've come to expect from Finnish record companies. In all, the best Sinfonietta I've ever heard.

The rest of the colleciton is equally convincing. Besides familiar music from Taras Bulba, we get the mini-violin concerto known as The Fiddler's Child, and the haunting, litttle known Ballad of Blanek, which is in Janacek's ripest idiom.

A near perfect Sinfonietta, a real "feast for the ears".......1999-03-07

After many "so-so" Sinfonietta"s, I reluctantly purchased this version, not being familiar with either Andrew Davis or the work of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic. After the first listening all I could say was "WOW". This was the version of Sinfonietta that I had always known could exist...somewhere. Everything was there , the crispness of the brass, the majesty in the fanfare, the achingly beautiful flute, and the perfect percussion. Even the spacing of the individual movements was in perfect time with the piece's overall forward pace. Quite simply the best Sinfonietta that this listener has heard, and that is just the opening piece on this brilliant disc. The Taras Bulba is fantastic and the remaining two pieces are quite simply,cream topping on the already splendid cake. Very heartily reccomended.

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