Dvorak’s gift for orchestration, harmonic treatment, and simple sincerity are apparent in his Requiem. The work feels much less liturgical than others of its genre, though it is still an uplifting expression of faith. + Despite the fact that the work was written as a Requiem for England, Dvorak’s national feeling can still be easily heard, especially in the opening of the fugue which relates to a Czech hymn from the Gothic period. + This work has been influential on many other composers after Dvorak. The opening motif has been quoted many times by Czech composers.

Anton�n Dvor�k: Rhapsodies by Pilsen Philharmonic Orchestra, Tom�s Brauner (conductor)

Classical Music

The new recording captures the concert and instrumental compositions of the prominent Czech middle-generation artist Jaroslav Krček. Jaroslav Krcek, born on April 22, 1939, near Ceske Budejovice in southern Bohemia, is a renowned Czech composer strongly influenced by his national folk heritage. He studied composition with Miloslav Kabelac and conducting with Bohumir Liska at the Prague Conservatory of Music. After graduation in 1962, he became a music editor for the recording company Supraphon, and also worked for Plzen Radio and Prague Radio. For over twenty years he has conducted the renowned ensemble Musica Bohemica, which has delighted many audiences at European music festivals. From his intensive study and long- time experience with folk music, Krcek has transformed nearly a thousand simple tunes into masterful arrangements. His catalog also includes three symphonies, a Double Concerto for Oboe, Harp and Orchestra, the opera Raab, the Harlot, which received an international prize in Zurich and many chamber compositions. This release includes his Oboe concerto, Three Dances in Old Style, and The Music to Lusatian Sorb fable “The Secret of the Old Mill.”

The impulse to create this album was the 10th anniversary of TrioTones and in the Year of Czech Music, TrioTones presents its debut album "Czech Chamber Music". In this album you can listen to music written between 1763 and 1980. One of the composers is also Roman Haas, a talented, partly forgotten Czech composer. The project took a year from inception to completion, and now you can finally listen to this album of exquisite Czech chamber music for clarinet, cello and piano.

Franz Liszt, musical genius and piano titan. When he first came to Prague in 1840, he heard and remembered Josef Theodor Krov's melody "Tešme se blahou nadejí", which was then misinterpreted as an old Hussite song. Franz Liszt, inspired by this song, has written the "Hussiten-Lied". Another Liszt’s composition you will find on this CD that is inspired by Czech/Slavic culture is "Slavimo slavno slaveni!". Naturally, Liszt left an indelible mark among Czech musicians, so you will also find Czech composers on this album.

The recording Shakespeare's Sonnets is dedicated to the contemporary works of Prague composers - Lukáš Hurník, Matej Benko, Juraj Filas, Zdenek Merta, Ondrej Kukal, Martin Brunner, Štepánka Balcarová, and Jirí Chvojka. All of the works are with lyrics by William Shakespeare and are sung by Czech soprano Lucie Silkenová, accompanied by Duo Teres. (Arcodiva)

Jan Schulmeister is young and promising pianist. He has been playing piano since the age of five. To this day, he has over 30 victories and special awards from national and international competitions. He also regularly performs solo concerts in both Czech and foreign countries. Now he presents his new CD with recordings of compositions by Robert Schumann, Johann Sebastian Bach and other great composers.

He said about this CD: "I see this audio recording as a kind of transition from my "junior" recordings to future ones. I am sixteen years old, and in these years my sort of imaginary journey associated with courage to join my older, already mature colleagues, the masters of black and white keys, begins."

The guitar duo Siempre Nuevo was founded in 2007 by two outstanding Czech guitarists Matej Freml and Patrik Vacík during their studies at the Hochschule für Music Franz Liszt in Weimar. These top chamber players are regularly invited to various concerts and festivals. Siempre Nuevo plays original compositions as well as adaptations for two guitars. Their repertoire includes an equal measure of works of the renaissance, baroque and classical period right up to compositions of the romantic and contemporary periods. Both musicians increasingly use historical instruments, which give the older pieces, especially classical pieces, a unique, authentic sound. This diversity and the fresh, expressive interpretations often were subject of praise from audiences and critics. Now they present their fourth album with carefully compiled pieces that have been the most popular of their repertoire, and that have the audience always wanted to hear.

In his 1979 biography of the composer John Clapham says; "[Dvorák] wrote his Alfred on quasi-Wagnerian lines between 26 May and 19 October 1870, and having completed it he stowed it away, out of sight, realising it was a hopeless failure". Given that this performance - a recording of a live concert - is the world premiere of the complete work in its original German-language form and only the second performance ever - the first was in Czech translation in 1938 - perhaps Clapham can be forgiven for taking a punt as to the quality of this work. Hopeless failure it most singularly is not.

In 1870 Dvorák was some years into his post as viola player in the Provisional Theatre in Prague. Smetana was the principal conductor and was laying the foundations for a Czech national opera. Given his direct involvement with works as diverse as William Tell, Fidelio, Faust and La Traviata it is no surprise that Dvorák should want to try his hand at operatic form. Even today, with only Rusalka of Dvorák's eleven operas in the international repertoire it is easy to forget that he wrote more stage works than the 'father' of Czech opera, Smetana. Alfred was his first operatic essay and the only one he wrote using a German libretto. The reason for this is most probably pragmatic and financial. The libretto by Karl Theodor Körner was already over fifty years old and had the benefits of being both dramatically apt and better still, free for him to use. At the time of its composition Dvorák was somewhat in the thrall of Wagner. This resulted in him using leitmotifs to delineate characters and there is an undoubted Germanic flavour to the work. Indeed, the shadow of Wagner hangs heavy over the work. Not that Dvorák was alone in having such an influence early in his compositional career. It could easily be argued that Strauss' Guntram is even more so. Which does lead me to wonder if Dvorák's 'shelving' of this work was more political - small and large 'p' - expediency than artistic critique. With extended passages of dramatic recitative and a consciously heroic style there is little of the Bohemian character that would become so typical of his greatest works. Aside from the Act I ballet which even though set in southern England is a proto-Slavonic dance, I am not sure anyone listening with an 'innocent ear' would be able to identify the composer.

At the same time there is so much to admire here. The work is well paced; three well balanced acts that do not outstay their welcome. Undoubtedly the characters are rather 'stock' and the work lacks a central villain to introduce any sense of danger but conversely they are considerably less generic than many similar works. A couple of other observations; the eponymous hero Alfred does not appear at all until the second Act and his imperilled betrothed - Alvina - is the only significant solo female role in the work. Dvorák gives the bulk of the duets to Harald and Alvina, The greatest weakness is the sense of dramatic stasis - the work feels more like a series of tableaux - indeed more than once the work reminded me of cantatas such as Elgar's King Olaf or Caractacus rather than opera proper. That said, this is work in progress so it seems unduly harsh - as indeed Dvorák was himself on the work - to consign it to the waste-bin of history.

Which is where this important and valuable world premiere recording comes in. The good news is that it is really very good. The performance was given as part of the International Dvorák Festival in Prague as recently as September 2014. There seem to have been two performances on consecutive days and these discs are the result. The absence of any applause between Acts or at the end of the Overture implies that some rehearsal/patching sessions were involved as well. Very occasionally there is an audible audience cough but nothing to seriously disrupt the performance. Applause is left in at the very end of the work which seems slightly anachronistic. Further good news in that the Arco Diva production team have caught the performers in extremely good sound in the Dvorák Hall of the Rudolfinum. The balance between orchestra, chorus and soloists is very good. Although essentially a static concert performance the voices have been well separated. Certainly the brass particularly of the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra have been especially well caught; likewise the wind are given an appealing bloom. No surprise, given the bardic nature of several scenes, Dvorák wrote a prominent harp part which is pleasingly audible throughout. As is the Czech Philharmonic Choir Brno. If one was being picky you would have to say that they sound a fraction small to represent a hoard of ravening Vikings but what they lack in number is made up for by a characteristically fine focused and well-balanced tone. There are occasions when the upper strings struggle for absolute unanimity with Dvorák's tricky writing but again nothing to disappoint overly.

Conductor Heiko Mathias Förster paces the work very well. The use of predominantly German-speaking solo singers ensures idiomatic pronunciation of the text too. The only relatively familiar part of the work is the Overture. Dvorák rescued it from oblivion, revised it and renamed it as the Tragic Overture although he never heard that performed either and it was ultimately published as an Op. Posth. In this form it has been recorded on Marco Polo with Libor Pešek conducting the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra. It is not absolutely clear if the revised Tragic Overture and the original operatic version are essentially identical. Assuming they are, Pešek takes a full two minutes off Förster's interpretation which is probably to the benefit of the work. The Slovak orchestra's playing is just that little bit more incisive too - both of the opening slashing chords played with absolute precision whereas the Prague orchestra live suffer from fractional lack of ensemble. After a lusty opening chorus there are a series of scenes in which the principal Danish protagonists are introduced. Especially impressive is the ringing tenor of Ferdinand von Bothmer as Harald - the invading prince. Dvorák's writing for this tenor role and that of Alvina is both extended and demanding. Petra Froese as Alvina is more tested by the writing and does not sound altogether comfortable. Indeed during the complexities of the Act II finale it sounds as though she is struggling to maintain her pitching in the thick textures. Conversely the baritone of Felix Rumpf singing the eponymous Alfred is very good indeed - youthful and virile with a very attractive voice. He makes a good foil for von Bothmer.

Another impressive aspect of the work is Dvorák's handling of the big set-pieces. Act I closes with Alvina spurning Harald's advances with the chorus in full-flight singing "Now new turmoil awaits us, we are ready to fight". The dramatic highpoint of the entire work is the end of Act II. In true 'rescue opera' mode Alfred has secretly entered Harald's stronghold disguised as a Minstrel to rescue the imprisoned Alvina. Before doing so he sings a ballad: "Man can stand a lot before the final restraint breaks, then he must risk everything, Thunder and hell will not stop him. Therefore tremble, you Danes! Bravely will the Briton stand." Not the least attention-seeking way of avoiding capture but in best operatic tradition with a single bound he is free, sweeping Alvina away to freedom and leaving confusion in his wake. Once the conventions of such scenes are accepted it makes for an exciting and actually rather impressive sequence. Dvorák had already written his first two symphonies before he essayed this opera so it should not come as a total surprise that his handling of the orchestral parts if not always refined is certainly confident.

It is not just the large ensembles that impress - Alfred makes his delayed entrance in Act II scene 1 with an extended soliloquy where he ponders the recent battle against the Danes that he has lost. This is an overtly Wagnerian passage but still an impressive one. Once again Förster proves himself masterly at pacing the scene so that it progresses from reflection to determination and ultimately to action when Alfred's loyal servant Sieward - sung by the ever-excellent bass Peter Mikuláš - enters to tell him of Alvina's capture and Alfred vows revenge. Having rescued Alvina at the end of Act II she rather carelessly manages to get herself captured again early in Act III. If nothing else this allows for more ardent wooing from Harald and equally vehement rejection by Alvina. In a separate, and again rather Wagnerian scene, Alfred and his army pray for victory in the coming battle. During the ensuing fight, Alfred defeats the Danes and Harald is captured. Alfred offers mercy but Harald chooses to die by his own hand. The opera ends with Alfred and Alvina reunited and the obligatory general rejoicing. By some degree this is the least impressive end of an act in the work.

Even allowing for that relative weakness, I think it is important to reiterate that this is a wholly enjoyable work. No, it is not a lost masterpiece; Dvorák would go onto greater things, but at the same time it is far from being the total failure the text books would tell you it is. I cannot imagine there being many other complete recordings coming along any time soon to challenge this one which makes this set's overall quality all the more valuable. The set does not come with a printed libretto but rather unusually it is embedded on both CDs as a pdf file. This is easy to save to a computer and is clearly printed in the original German with Czech and English translations. Having any libretto is better than none although personally I would prefer a traditional printed booklet. The liner is in Czech and English and includes a useful essay, opera synopsis and historical background as well as the usual artist's biographies and some pictures from the concerts. One entertaining typo says: "... the overture was performed under the title Dramatic (or Tragic) after Dvorák's death in 1905 and 1912 respectively." He wasn't dead, he was just sleeping - no that's King Arthur not Alfred (or Dvorák).

Czech opera, apart from The Bartered Bride, Rusalka and the major works by Janá?ek, struggles for any kind of toehold in the international repertoire. That being the case it is hard to imagine Alfred being preferred for revival before other finer works. However for those interested in Dvorák's development as a composer this is both fascinating and vital in appreciating his genius - it is important to remember that this was by far the most substantial composition Dvorák had attempted at the date of its composition. Taking that fact into account the successes of the work far outweigh the shortcomings. Exactly the same can be said of this performance - the minor flaws of execution that come with a live concert count for little compared to the confident, committed and dramatic sweep of the performance. A set all admirers of the composer should hear.

- Nick Barnard, MusicWeb International

The two CDs set features two Concertos by Johannes Brahms. These compositions have been recorded by the prominent soloists and members of the Smetana Trio: Jirí Vodicka, violin; Jan Pálenícek, cello and Jitka Cechová, piano. The CD is the first part of the series of Brahms concertos, the next to include the Concerto for Violin and Orchestra.

The Czech Philharmonic Quartet's new release features four string quartets by Czech composer Jaroslav Krček (*1939). The Czech Philharmonic Quartet (CPQ) was established by the initiative of members of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in 2000. The quartet performers are Leoš Čepický, 1st violin, Viktor Mazáček, 2nd violin, Jiří Poslední, viola, and Jakub Dvořák, cello. The immense talents of these musicians and long-term experience in chamber music are great preconditions for their top-class performance. The tone of the CPQ is highly valued by professional international critics. The CPQ regularly participate in the chamber cycles of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, in various festivals and in events organized by the Circle of Friends of Music, both over the Czech Republic and abroad (Great Britain, Luxembourg, Germany, Japan, Israel, China and Slovakia).

The present release features Slovak folk poetry in songs - performed by excellent Czech musicians. Two great artists, Roman Janál (baritone) and Karel Košárek (piano), are presenting songs of M. Schneider-Trnavský and Bohuslav Martinů. This album was recorded in Martinu Hall in Prague (August 2021). Roman Janál studied the violin at the Plzeň Conservatory and voice at the Music Academy in Sofia, where, while still a student, he appeared as a guest at the State Opera (Don Giovanni, Eugene Onegin, Tarquinius in Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia). His first engagement was in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia, afterwards he joined the Chamber Opera (later on, Opera Mozart) in Prague. He is an honorary member of the International Antonín Dvořák Vocal Centre. He taught at the Prague Conservatory, and at the Academy of Music and the International Conservatory in Prague. Karel Košárek is a much sought-after Czech pianist who appears not only as a soloist, but also with leading orchestras. A graduate of the Musical Faculty of the Prague Academy of Performing Arts and the Southern Methodist University in Dallas, he is a winner of the Smetana Piano Competition and the Corpus Christi Piano Competition, and a prizewinner of the Walter Naumburg Competition in New York. Recitals at previous seasons in New York, Dallas, Palm Beach, Calgary, Tel Aviv, St. Petersburg and Bangkok, as well as concert appearances in Europe and Japan, indicate the scope of his international artistic activity.

The new album Lady Viola presents various viola repertoire performed by Czech eminent violist Kristina Fialová. Pieces on this release include by Rebecca Clarke, Sylvie Bodorová, Lillian Fuchs and more. Fantasia for Solo Viola by Sláva Vorlová is world premiere recording. Kristina Fialová has been primarily praised by the critics for her impeccable technique, impassioned performance and sophisticated musical sentiment. After winning the Michal Spisak International Competition in Katowice, Poland, she was invited to the major concert stages around the world. Her appearance at the prestigious Tivoli Festival in Denmark was followed by her debuting in Tonhalle Zürich, Cologne philharmonic hall, Sumida Triphony hall in Tokio, Gran Teatro Nacional in Lima and giving a recital at the Prague Spring festival.

This release is the newest recording of Petrof Piano Trio, and was recorded in an exceptional studio on a first-class Petrof instrument. This album inclues the most outstanding works of Czech chamber music, with pieces by Janacek, Dvorak, and Kukal. The Petrof Piano Trio, founded in 2009, consists of pianist Martina Schulmeisterova, violinist Jan Schulmeister, and cellist Kamil Zvak. The group has been the Resident Trio at the International Chamber Music Course in the Czech Republic since 2011.