Leos Janacek: Chamber Works

1. In the mists (V Mlhách), pieces (4) for piano, JW 8/22
Composed by Leos Janacek
with Andras Schiff

2. Presto for cello & piano, JW 7/6
Composed by Leos Janacek
with Boris Pergamenschikow , Andras Schiff

3. Pohádka (Fairy Tale), for cello & piano ("The Story of Tsar Berendyey"), JW 7/5
Composed by Leos Janacek
with Boris Pergamenschikow , Andras Schiff

4. Piano Sonata ("Zulice, 1.X.95," "From the Street, 1 October, 1895"), JW 8/19 (final movement lost)
Composed by Leos Janacek
with Andras Schiff

5. Capriccio for piano (left hand), flute, & brass ensemble ("Vzdor," "Defiance"), JW 7/12
Composed by Leos Janacek
with Erik Hainzl , Rudolf Josel , William McElheney , Konrad Monsberger , Musiktage Mondsee Ensemble , Andras Schiff , Wolfgang Schulz , Hans Stoecker

Tracks:

Variations On One String On A Theme By Rossini
Forest Quietude, Op.68 No.5
Pampeana No.2, Op.21
Lied Ohne Worte, Op.109 (Posth.)
Pezzo Capriccioso, Op.62
Apres Un Reve, Op.7, No.1: After A Dream
Pohadka - Fairy Tale: I
Pohadka - Fairy Tale: II
Pohadka - Fairy Tale: III
The Carnival Of The Animals: The Swan
Popular Spanish Suite: I. El Pano Moruno (The Moorish Cloth)
Popular Spanish Suite: II. Asturiana
Popular Spanish Suite: III. Jota
Popular Spanish Suite: IV. Nana (Lullaby)
Popular Spanish Suite: V. Cancion (Song)
Popular Spanish Suite: VI. Polo

Customer Reviews:

Hear Her Live.......2006-12-19

You must witness Alisa Weilerstein live. I fell in love with her playing at the Spoleto festival where she played the basso continuo part of a Bach Brandenberg Concerto as if it was the Dvorak Cello Concerto. She has a passion for music that i have not heard or seen. And in her early 20s. Oh my gosh what a performer she will eventually be!

Weilerstein Debut.......2006-01-21

I've been playing the cello for almost 40 years and I agree about the complaints about the vibrato and phrasing: overdone! I also agree with the question about "aristocratic" playing: why all of the exaggeration? Instrument playing should ideally be like that of a vocalist, where one is not limited by one's technical abilities. I doubt that Ms. Weilerstein would sing these phrasese the same way she plays them. There is still time for her to develop, however. If you want to hear more refined playing, listen to Gendron, Rose, Fournier or Rostropovich.

powefull.......2005-12-18

I am a cellist of 15 years on the breakthrough of becoming a renowed cellist. This cellist tone is so powerfull and clear.she tells a story this is so clear to understand because the music speaks. alisa should watch the slurs from the f to b and be more gracefull. The apres un reve was ok i guess. she really should of tooken more time. like floating on a dream cloud. when i play this piece i take the music from the begining as a fuzzy dream and play the pitch so the music tells a story and becomes more clear every measure. The elgar is somenthing she might not want to touch because no one plays it better than du pre.

Florida Music Lover.......2002-10-12

I have been fond of the cello for years. I have enjoyed Casals even though he was somewhate austere. I love Rostropovich's tone and color but have felt that no one has ever played with the passion of Du Pre until I heard Weilerstein on, I believe, NPR when they played an unreleased tape of the Elgar Concerto by Weilerstein. I missed the intro and would have bet the farm that I was listening to Du Pre until the announcement at the end. I immediately ordered this disc and it has me wondering about re-incarnation. Is Du Pre back? This disc is a wonderful sample of the immense talents of this new young artist. I can't wait for Alisa to record the my favorite Elgar for EMI.

Love it or hate it!.......2002-05-21

SUCH PRESENCE! This is cello playing without apologies. She is always secure in what she is saying whether that is what you wanted to hear or not. She is the real thing. May she go onto continue to create controvery through her playing!

Average customer rating:

a pleasant surprise

Janácek: Piano Works (Complete)

Manufacturer: Brilliant Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0009IW8RG
Release Date: 2005-05-31

Customer Reviews:

a pleasant surprise.......2006-09-22

Usually a disc of anybody's complete works for any solo instrument is a bit much for one sitting. It wasn't written to be heard in one go, after all. But there's so much variety in Janacek's compositions, you never get the feeling of overload. I'm not an expert but Hakon Austbo's playing seems top-class to me.

Average customer rating:

Ivan Moravec: Live in Prague

Manufacturer: Hanssler Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Mazurkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Chopin: Sonata in B-flat minor, Berceuse, etc.
Ivan Moravec Plays Debussy & Chopin
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Moravec Plays Schumann & Franck

ASIN: B00005Y4NP
Release Date: 2002-01-25

Tracks:

I. Allegro con brio
II. Largo e sostenuto
III. Finale. Presto ma non troppo
I. Premonition- Con moto
II. Death-Adagio
I. Andante
II. Molto agitato
III. Andantino
IV. Presto
No.17: A flat Major- Allegretto
No.18: F minor - Molto allegro
No.19: E flat Major - Vivace
No.20: C minor - Largo
No.21: B flat Major - Cantabile
No.22: G minor - Molto agitato
No.23: F Major - Moderato
No.24: D minor - Allegro appassionata
Ondine
Mazurka in C sharp minor
Mazurka in A minor

Amazon.com

Moravec's recordings are too few and far between, so this disc of his live recital at the 2000 Prague Spring Festival is an important release, especially since the great pianist had not previously recorded the Haydn and Janácek works. They are wonderfully done. Moravec wrings all the humor and simple beauty from the Haydn Sonata, and the moving Janácek Sonata, a two-movement work depicting the tragic outcome of a 1905 protest demonstration, gets a wrenching interpretation that's the best on CD. Moravec has always been considered a master Chopin pianist, and his selections here are impeccably played, with a spontaneity and subtle rubato that rival his treasured studio recordings. The closing item, a color-drenched Debussy Ondine, is on the same extraordinary level. Anyone even remotely interested in hearing outstanding pianism should get this; Moravec's fans will already have snapped it up. --Dan Davis

Album Description

Ivan Moravec is simply one of the great pianists alive today. His reputation rests on superlative performances and recordings of a repertoire in which he really is supreme: Debussy, Chopin, Brahms, and Mozart. This latest recording of Moravec features a finely balanced program including works of his countryman, Leos Janáĉek. No music-lover will want to be without this recording, destined to become a classic.

Average customer rating:

Faultless!

The Piano Works of Leos Janácek

Manufacturer: Helicon Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000JCIU
Release Date: 1999-06-29

Tracks:

Sonata, October, 1905 'From The Street: The Presentiment
Sonata, October, 1905 'From The Street': The Death
On An Overgrown Path - Book I: Our Evenings
On An Overgrown Path - Book I: A Blown Away Leaf
On An Overgrown Path - Book I: Come With Us
On An Overgrown Path - Book I: The Madonna Of Frydek
On An Overgrown Path - Book I: They Chattered Like Swallows
On An Overgrown Path - Book I: Words Fail
On An Overgrown Path - Book I: Good Night!
On An Overgrown Path - Book I: Unutterable Anguish
On An Overgrown Path - Book I: In Tears
On An Overgrown Path - Book I: The Barn Owl Has Not Flown Away
On An Overgrown Path - Book II: Andante
On An Overgrown Path - Book II: Allegretto
On An Overgrown Path - Book II: Piu Mosso
On An Overgrown Path - Book II: Allegro; Adagio
On An Overgrown Path - Book II: Vivo
A Recollection
In the Mist: Andante
In the Mist: Molto Adagio
In the Mist: Andantino
In the Mist: Presto

Customer Reviews:

Faultless!.......2001-11-20

All the selections are beautiful and faultlessly executed.
Never a dull moment.

Average customer rating:

Heart over Head
Lovely, Dark, and Deep
Janacek with no bite
Out of this world!
Haunting and Timely

Leos Janácek: A Recollection
Andras Schiff
Manufacturer: Ecm Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Leos Janácek: Piano Works
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Songs of Debussy and Mozart
Bartok: Violin Concertos, Viola Concerto, 6 Duo for 2 Violins, Violin Rhapsodies; Yehudi Menuhin

ASIN: B000059X1W
Release Date: 2001-06-19

Tracks:

In The Mist: I. Andante
In The Mist: II. Molto Adagio
In The Mist: III. Andante
In The Mist: IV. Presto
Son 1.X.1905: The Presentiment/Die Ahnung - Con Moto
Son 1.X.1905: The Death/Der Tod - Adagio
On An Overgrown Path I: Our Evenings - Moderato
On An Overgrown Path I: A Blown Away Leaf - Andante
On An Overgrown Path I: Come With Us! - Andante
On An Overgrown Path I: The Madonna Of Frydek - Grave
On An Overgrown Path I: They Chattered Like Swallows - Con Moto
On An Overgrown Path I: Words Fail! - Andante
On An Overgrown Path I: Good Night! - Andante
On An Overgrown Path I: Unutterable Anguish - Andante
On An Overgrown Path I: In Tears - Larghetto
On An Overgrown Path I: The Barn Owl Has Not Flown Away! - Andante
On An Overgrown Path II: I. Andante
On An Overgrown Path II: II. Allegretto
On An Overgrown Path: I. Piu Mosso
On An Overgrown Path: II. Allegro
On An Overgrown Path: III. Vivo
A Recollection: Con Moto

Amazon.com

It is pianist András Schiff's near total identification with Janácek's idiom that makes these performances so special. This affinity is felt immediately in his reading of In the Mists, in which Schiff is able to evoke the tranquility of the second movement as easily as he captures the folklike simplicity of the third. The date 1.X.1905 in the title of the Piano Sonata refers to the date of the shooting of a Czech worker by Hapsburg troops. The first movement, marked "Presentiment," is spookily atmospheric, while the chilling second movement, "The Death," leaves a powerful impression. Schiff demonstrates exemplary control, so that the effect is peaceful rather than meandering. On an Overgrown Pathis Janácek at his most concentrated: in particular, the very Czech lachrymose quality of "In Tears" is all the more powerful for its simplicity. Janácek's chosen range of keyboard sonorities is remarkably wide, and Schiff manages to use these to convey the full emotional spectrum. Although these performances do not displace Firkusny's for DG, they certainly offer an entirely convincing alternative viewpoint. ECM's exemplary recording sets the seal on this recommendation. --Colin Clarke

Customer Reviews:

Heart over Head.......2005-04-11

Firkusny studied with Janacek...almost all reviewers agree that his interpretation is truest to Janacek's intent. Yet in head-to-head listenings, it's the Schiff performance that I prefer.

I find the Firkusny performance to be clinical and dry as compared to Schiff, who is more lyrical and poetic. Firkusny may be playing it how Janacek intended, but musicians are artists and are free to interpret a piece any way they like. For this piece, I choose Schiff's interpretation.

Lovely, Dark, and Deep.......2002-07-21

It's late November and you're walking out in the woods. There's a crisp coolness underfoot and in the air. And you've just lost a dear friend to time and circumstance....

That is the type of Recollection which this music evokes for me. The excellent liner notes by Imre Kertesz and Robert Cowan refer to how each one of these evocative pieces is like a short story; each contains its own inner world: the "world in a grain of sand." There is the same mystical element present that one encounters in Arvo Part's music, but there is an impressionistic element as well, more lyrical than Debussy, and more emotional.

The magnificent two-movement Sonate (1.X.1905) is easily the highlight of the album. It was written to commemorate a protesting Czech student executed on that date by German troops. The second movement (entitled simply, "Death") still has, as the liner notes aptly say, "the power to shock." There is an existential element to this music, that "poses the eternally unanswered and unanswerable question of the human condition" (Kertesz).

In response to another reviewer who has stated that the recording's sound quality is lacking: I have listened to this recording on my car's cd player, and there it does sound rather like too much of an echo is present. But on my home stereo system, with quality speakers and subwoofer, the slight echo actually enhances the haunting quality of this music. It is, for me, that echo, that silencio between the notes, that makes this music and this performance, unforgettable.

Janacek with no bite.......2002-01-27

Perhaps it's unfair to compare Schiff to Firkusny, who actually knew Janacek and kept his music always close to his heart. I'm not intimating that Schiff does not know these pieces, but to the contrary, he brings a carefully studied and balanced performance of the pieces. However, the centerpiece of this disc, Janacek's piano sonata, is a disappointment. The first movement, "Presentiment", does not have the anger that Janacek intends. Janacek was a very programatic composer, and Schiff somewhat stifles the edgy passion of this movement. The second movement, "Death", is quite good in contrast. Schiff's Schubertian touch adds fine eloquence to this intense and despondent movement. "In the Mists" pieces are played with fine sensibility and sensitiveness, and other miniatures come off with lyricism, but be it his approach or the acoustics or the Bosendorfer piano that Schiff used... there just is no sense of passion, an element of unmediated emotion. Still, the benchmark is my well-traveled double disc Firkusny on Deutsche Gramophone, with a fine, thrillingly jagged account of the first movement of the sonata.

Out of this world!.......2001-10-23

Andras Schiff has received great acclaim for his Bach and Schubert performances. I really can't understand why. However, I do like Schiff's interpretations of Scarlatti, Mozart and 20th century music. I am very fond of his contribution to the Carter disc that he made a couple of years ago. Thus, it came as no surprise when I found out that it was Schiff, whom I heard in some superb Janacek on NPR lately.

I got familiar with these works thanks to the folks at Naxos, but here we get playing at a whole different level. The works are performed with a sense of "bitter-sweetness", that is reminiscent of the late piano works of Brahms. Schiff performs Janacek as the Czech equivalent of Debussy to great effect. For me this works better than Firkushny's more Dvorak-based interpretation.

Schiff's tribute to Janacek is hauntingly beautiful and should make its way to the collection of anyone with a serious interest in the piano repertoire.

One small comment. Uncharacteristically for ECM, the piano sound is a bit disappointing. The timbre tends towards the nasal/metallic and is very much at odds with the sound that I heard Schiff produce in concert

Haunting and Timely.......2001-09-26

In this time of great tragedy in our nation, music helps ease the grief and anxiety we feel our souls. This phenomenal CD of piano music by the polish composer Leos Janacek, played by Andras Schiff, is hauntingly beautiful. The music plays to the heart.

Average customer rating:

Dance of the Vampires (Ples Upiru)

Manufacturer: Nbelive
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0007VZ90I
Release Date: 2005-03-08

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Good Night
Quatuor Pour Cora
Strange Young Lady
Winds
Our Evenings
Huljet, Huljet
Francouzsk
Knife Eater
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Janácek: Chamber Music & Orchestral Works

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Janácek: Chamber Music & Orchestral Works

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Conformist (Extended Edition)

ASIN: B0001Y4JH0
Release Date: 2004-10-12

Leif Ove Andsnes ~ Janácek - Piano Sonata 1.X.1905 · In the Mists · On the Overgrown Path, Series 1

Average customer rating:

Wonderful music
Wonderful Intro To Janacek

Leif Ove Andsnes ~ Janácek - Piano Sonata 1.X.1905 · In the Mists · On the Overgrown Path, Series 1

Manufacturer: Virgin Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Horizons - Leif Ove Andsnes

ASIN: B00004YU7P
Release Date: 2001-03-27

Tracks:

Presentiment (Con Moto)
Death (Adagio)
Andante
Molto Adagio
Andantino
Presto
Our Evenings (Moderato)
A Blown-Away Leaf (Andante)
Come With Us! (Andante)
The Madonna Of Frydek (Grave)
They Chattered Like Swallows (Con Moto)
Words Fail (Andante)
Good Night (Andante)
Unutterable Anguish (Andante)
In Tears (Larghetto)
The Barn Owl Has Not Flown Away (Andante)

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful music.......2006-08-24

I became a Janacek fan thirty years ago when a friend introduced me to the Sinfonietta but I was unfamiliar with the solo piano music until I heard "On the Overgrown Path" on a local radio station while driving recently. I was completely captivated, so much so that I stopped the car so I could pay full attention to it. Leif Ove Andsnes does wonders with this music. Highly recommended.

Wonderful Intro To Janacek.......2003-09-05

This recording presents an array of some of Janachek's most accessible, evocative pieces for solo piano, meticulously recorded, and caringly played. I've heard other, matter-of-fact, performances that may be more typical; this is the most musically thoughtful, yet manages to remain passionate at the same time. The music itself has echoes of the impressionists colored with an certain amount of Slavic broodiness, but all of it welcome, and all flavored with Janacek's unique vision (an appropriately mixed metaphor for a music piece). Put it on, turn out the lights, close your eyes, and enjoy an unforgettably rich experience!