PENTATONE's release of the Czech Philharmonic's complete Mahler Cycle under Bychkov brings together one of Europe's most historically resonant orchestras with a conductor internationally recognised for his structural command and interpretive integrity. The orchestra occupies a distinctive place within Mahler's geographical and cultural landscape - Mahler was born and brought up in Bohemia and completed his First Symphony shortly after spending a year in Prague. Mahler symphonies have been central to Bychkov's programming with the Czech Philharmonic since 2018, when he opened his tenure as Chief Conductor and Music Director with performances of Mahler Symphony No. 2. Symphonies Nos. 1-5, released by PENTATONE beginning in April 2022, have received universal acclaim. The recordings have been selected as Gramophone Editor's Choice and BBC Music Magazine Recording of the Month. As The Sunday Times writes, "This is turning out to be one of the truly great Mahler sets."
Dvořák’s Legends and Slavonic Rhapsodies, recorded by Principal Guest Conductor of the Czech Philharmonic, Tomáš Netopil, marks the Orchestra’s fourth recording featuring Czech composers in 2024’s Year of Czech Music. Dvořák wrote his Slavonic Rhapsodies just before the Slavonic Dances that catapulted him to world fame, and they share their colorful orchestration and appealing folk dance melodies, even if the Rhapsodies have more expansive, ambitious forms. The Legends are at least as ingenious, with a smaller orchestra giving the pieces a more intimate, introspective quality. These lesser-known gems are now presented in a glorious idiomatic interpretation by the Czech Philharmonic, arguably the world’s best orchestra for this repertoire.
The Czech Philharmonic is one of the world’s orchestral gems, recognised for its rich tradition with the Czech masters as well as European repertoire. Together with their chief conductor and artistic director Semyon Bychkov, they have so far recorded for PENTATONE Mahler’s First, Second, Fourth, and Fifth Symphonies (2022-2023), part of the complete Mahler cycle to be released by the label, as well as Smetana's Má vlast and Dvořák's Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Symphonies (2024). The Orchestra is also featured on the albums Folk Songs (2023) and Czech Songs (2024) recorded by Magdalena Kožená and Sir Simon Rattle. Principal Guest Conductor Tomáš Netopil makes his Pentatone debut.
A celebration of Bohemian spirit and rhythmic brilliance, Antonin Dvorak's Slavonic Dances come to life in a vibrant new recording by the Czech Philharmonic, led by the masterful Sir Simon Rattle. These vivid orchestral gems, full of rhythmic vitality, folkloric color, and lyrical charm, are central to Dvorak's legacy and pivotal in defining a Czech national sound. Composed at a turning point in the composer's career, the Slavonic Dances radiate with joy, invention, and national character qualities that captivated audiences across Europe and beyond. As Principal Guest Conductor: Rafael Kubelik Chair, Sir Simon Rattle has already graced the label alongside the orchestra and Magdalena Kožena with Czech Songs (2024) and Folk Songs (2023). This release continues the exclusive collaboration between PENTATONE and the Czech Philharmonic (awarded Gramophone's Orchestra of the Year in 2024), committed to bringing Czech music to life on a global stage. It follows the acclaimed recordings of Dvorak's Symphonies Nos. 7, 8 & 9 (2024) and, 2025's winner of the BBC Music Magazine Orchestral Award, Smetana's Ma Vlast with Chief Conductor and Music Director, Semyon Bychkov, as well as Dvorak's Legends and Rhapsodies with Tomas Netopil.
There are few countries that can match Russia in terms of having produced as many outstanding musicians, especially pianists; Tatiana Nikolayeva was one member of what has become known as the Russian Piano School which along with her includes Sviatoslav Richter, Emil Gilels and many others and that tradition continues right down to today’s representatives with no apparent sign of any let up, thank goodness! Raw talent coupled with a dedicated singl- minded sense of purpose drove these artists to dominate the very pinnacle of peerless pianism. In 1951, aged 27, Tatiana Nikolayeva visited Prague and made the earliest of these recordings, several of which appear on CD for the first time. She had already caused a considerable stir in Czechoslovakia’s capital on previous visits, which included her first in 1947 when she came second at a competition organised as part of the First World Festival of Youth and Students. That was the same year she completed her conservatory studies when she astounded her examiners by including all 48 of Bach’s preludes and fugues from his Well Tempered-Clavier for her final performance test. In Leipzig in July 1950 during that town’s Bachfest, organised to mark the 200th anniversary of Bach’s death that work became a turning point in her career as she offered the judges the opportunity to call for her to play whichever they asked for on the spot; on the jury that awarded her first prize was none other than Dmitry Shostakovich! At the festival’s closing concert when Bach’s concerto for three pianos was to be performed Maria Yudina (1899-1970), who was to have been at the second piano, had injured a finger and couldn’t play so her place was taken by Shostakovich, himself an outstanding pianist, and from that moment on Nikolayeva’s acquaintance with the composer developed into a friendship that would last right up until Shostakovich’s death in 1975. It is a measure of Shostakovich’s respect and admiration for Tatiana Nikolayeva that he not only dedicated his cycle of 24 preludes and fugues to her but consulted with her over them, including many of her suggestions and observations in the work and, of course, it was she that gave its première in Leningrad in December 1952.
It was fascinating to read in the booklet that she had such a phenomenal memory that she never took any sheet music with her on tours, relying instead on that memory for her performances. The digital mastering from the original tapes by Jan Lži?a? has done wonders with the inevitable clicks and pops one might expect from these recordings, some of which were made over 65 years ago, though obviously the solo works come off best as the orchestral sound betrays its age more readily. That said her playing in the Rachmaninov piano concerto is as convincing as any I have ever heard despite the (to my ears) rather sluggish orchestral accompaniment. Her playing comes over as completely natural, without the least suggestion of artifice. The first of the solo works is Prokofiev’s 3rd piano sonata ‘From old notebooks’ and despite the rather brittle sound caused, I think, by a little too much treble, it is a solid performance that demonstrates her capacity for bringing out the contrast between the stormy and the subtle. Next come three pieces by Nikolayeva herself revealing a less well-known or appreciated side of her, that of composer. Her Three concert etudes, op13 show a real talent; how much music she wrote I must confess I don’t know but on the evidence here what she did compose is clearly worth exploring. It shows the influence of Prokofiev with complex rhythms and dense textures as opposed to the lighter and more romantic touch of Rachmaninov.
Opening disc 2, we are treated to three of the Shostakovich 24 Preludes and fugues which, as mentioned above, were dedicated to her and for which she was closely consulted. You would expect Shostakovich to know what he was doing with his dedication and consultations and her performance shows how well-founded his opinion was as she plays the pieces as naturally as if they were her own. In an interview she characterised the 15th prelude and fugue in D flat major as “...so fierce and lively, like a whirlpool. And in that quiet forest, (in Ruza outside Moscow at an artists’ retreat) when I heard that stormy whirlpool I went into wild rapture”. That certainly comes over in her playing. Conductor Kurt Sanderling told Tatiana that in his opinion the preludes and fugues were Shostakovich’s intimate diary and when she objected “Why not his string quartets and symphonies”, he replied no, this work for it is “an intimate diary of Shostakovich, kept for himself, that brings happiness to all of us”. How true Sanderling’s observation was and how wonderful to listen to these works with that thought in mind.
She then turns to Bach, her great love and for which playing she is rightly renowned. First up is the Fantasia in C minor, BWV 816 and her luminous playing is revealed to its highest degree, and shines through despite the sound appearing to be a little distant. Even better is her earlier recording of Bach’s French Suite no.5 in G major, BWV 816. This is a remarkable recording in terms of playing and sound which belies its age of 66 years. She plays these again as if she owned them; just listen to the Courante and its following Sarabande and marvel at the contrast she creates, injecting excitement and refinement in equal degrees and after the gentleness of the Sarabande the Gavotte and Bourrée revert to the thrill of a headlong race as notes tumble out in a great rush; utterly thrilling. Altogether a fabulous 15 ½ minutes of pianistic brilliance finishing with a breathtakingly fast Gigue.
Closing the two-disc set is another marvellous example of Nikolayeva’s technical skills, which were coupled with an innate sensitivity: her 1952 recording of Bach’s Chromatic fantasia & fugue in D minor, BWV 903 which, along with the Prokofiev, her own concert etudes, the Shostakovich and the Bach fantasia, is the first time the recording has appeared on CD. It is further proof that she was one of the greatest ever interpreters of Bach’s keyboard works. It is not enough simply to love them since all pianists who include them in their repertoire surely do, rather it is a total understanding of how they work and an ability to reveal their intrinsic humanity which she had and which is rare in my listening experience. This set is a must-have for all lovers of solo piano music and admirers of the consummate art of Tatiana Nikolayeva, a true original.
Jirí Belohlávek (1946-2017) was an important worldwide ambassador of Bohuslav Martinu's music. For the Supraphon label alone he recorded nearly forty of Martinu's symphonic compositions, concertos, and stage works, and many of these were world premiere recordings. Despite large-scale plans, this recording also represents both the highpoint and the conclusion of Belohlávek's noteworthy discography of Martinu's works. The premiere recording of the opera-pastoral What Men Live By was made from three concert performances in December 2014. Martinu composed it to his own libretto in America at the turn of 1951-52, and he had a clear idea concerning it's performance: "It must not be played 'pathetically', but joyfully... The text strongly tempts one to come up with a very serious, 'deep' conception, but that is not what I had in mind. To me, it is a rather joyful work, and what the listener must feel is not some sort of religious moral (lesson), but instead joy. The moral is in fact in the joy." This recording of the Symphony No. 1 was made in January 2016, and it joins the earlier releases of Symphonies Nos. 3-6. It was part of a planned but unfortunately unfinished complete set of Martinu's late orchestral works. Belohlávek's tenure with the Czech Philharmonic during the last five years of his life was a very happy time for both parties, and it led to the development of new qualities in the orchestra's sound. This recording shall endure as living proof of what was a very special constellation of humanity and artistry.
The Ancient Greek word Kalon was used by philosophers to describe perfect physical and moral beauty. In this recording, the Albion Quartet and the Czech Philharmonic explore the different aspects of Kalon through the context in which beauty can exist in ugliness and darkness. This record is the result of Richard Blackford's doctorate at the University of Bristol, which investigates the use of polytempo. The recording is a way of applying the findings of his doctorate in a range of musical contexts. Kalon is unique as it explores the use of polytempo in the context of extended tonality and modality, which could be said surpasses the complexity posed by serialist works of a similar nature, such as Stockhausen's Gruppen or Carré.
After critically-acclaimed recordings of Mahler’s Fourth and Fifth Symphony, the Czech Philharmonic and Semyon Bychkov continue their Pentatone Mahler cycle with a rendition of the composer’s Second, nicknamed “The Resurrection”. They are joined by soprano Christiane Karg, alto Elisabeth Kulman and the Prague Philharmonic Choir.
Starting with a funeral march, passing through the introspective alto song “Urlicht” and ending in choral bliss and euphoria, Mahler’s Second is a deeply spiritual and personal contemplation on the secret of life and the possibility of overcoming death. For Bychkov, the symphony “shows the life cycle in all its struggles: suffering, joy, irony, humour, love and doubt.” The Czech Philharmonic is one of the world’s most acclaimed orchestras, with a rich tradition of performing Czech masters and music from Central Europe.
Semyon Bychkov has led the greatest orchestras of the world, and is Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Czech Philharmonic as of the 2018/2019 season. Orchestra and maestro released recordings of Mahler’s Fourth and Fifth Symphony (both 2022) on Pentatone, kicking off a complete Mahler cycle. Elisabeth Kulman has participated on several Pentatone releases, while Christiane Karg makes her Pentatone debut.
REVIEW:
You marvel at the fresh depth and breadth that Bychkov and his players find within this towering work. The Russian-American conductor doesn’t labor over the funeral march, and in the shattering final movement he draws performances of exquisite balance, control and stillness. This is turning out to be one of the truly great Mahler sets.
Animal Music will release Arthur Honegger's dramatic oratorio Jeanne d'Arc au bucher (1935/1944). Lukas Vasilek conducts the Czech Philharmonic, Prague Philharmonic Choir and the Prague Philharmonic Children's Choir. The cast is led by Audrey Bonnet as Jeanne d'Arc and Sebastien Dutrieux as Frere Dominique. This is the first recording since 1975 of Jeanne d'Arc au bucher made with the same orchestra and two choirs. The cast is completed by actors Jean-Baptiste Le Vaillant, Thomas Gendronneau and Anna John Schmidtmajerova, and singers Susanne Bernhard, Veronika Rovna, Anna Goryachova, Kyle van Schoonhoven, Dovlet Nurgeldiyev and Zachary Altman. Jirí Chvala and Petr Louženský are the choirmasters of the Prague Philharmonic Children's Choir. The album is released on CD with a comprehensive booklet in a trilingual English-French-Czech version. The connections between the composer, Jeanne d'Arc au bucher and forces involved in this recording are closely interwoven and, at times, charged with historical and emotional resonance. In 1949, Honegger himself conducted the Prague Philharmonic Choir in the Czech premiere of his Le Roi David (1921). In 1970, the Czech Philharmonic, conducted by Vaclav Neumann, performed Jeanne d'Arc au bucher to mark the first anniversary of the death of Jan Palach, the Czech student who set himself on fire in protest against the 1968 Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia. Five years later, in 1975, the Czech Philharmonic, Prague Philharmonic Choir, and Prague Philharmonic Children's Choir, under Serge Baudo, recorded Jeanne d'Arc au bucher for Supraphon. This new recording by Animal Music is based on live performances given between 13-15 February 2025 at the Rudolfinum in Prague. Honegger's oratorio was chosen by Lukas Vasilek to mark both his debut conducting the Czech Philharmonic and the 55th anniversary of the work's performance at the Rudolfinum in 1970. Reviewing the first of the three 2025 concerts, Bachtrack described it as 'a performance for the ages' and Klasika Plus said 'Vasilek's interpretation was outstanding the Prague Philharmonic Choir delivered one perfectly blended wave of sound after another, reaffirming it's place among the European elite.' Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of the Prague Philharmonic Choir since 2007, Lukas Vasilek is also founder of the Martinu Voices, with whom he released his first album on Animal Music in 2023 featuring choral works by Benjamin Britten (ANI124-2) which went onto win the Czech Music Academy Award for Best Classical Recording of the Year. In recent years, Vasilek has also been active in his original field of orchestral conducting. His interpretation of Benjamin Britten's War Requiem performed in February 2023 by the Prague Philharmonic Choir, in collaboration with the Prague Philharmonia, the Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra and members of the Kyiv Symphony Orchestra was a resounding success. Britten's work, along with other major vocal-symphonic works, such as Honegger's Le Roi David and Poulenc's Gloria and Stabat Mater, has become a mainstay of Vasilek's concert repertoire with the Prague Philharmonic Choir.
Semyon Bychkov and the Czech Philharmonic present two of Dmitri Shostakovich's most powerful symphonic statements: the Fifth and Seventh Symphonies. For Bychkov, no music is more essential or closer to the bone than that of Shostakovich. He and the composer share a home city (Leningrad/St Petersburg); Bychkov grew up surrounded by people who had known the composer; and he was obsessed with Shostakovich's music from an early age. Bychkov has been conducting Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5 he was a student at the Leningrad Conservatory in the early 70's. He first conducted it with the Czech Philharmonic in 2022 and, subsequently took the work on tour with the Orchestra conducting concerts in London, Amsterdam, Vienna and Paris. Shostakovich's Symphony No. 7 also has special resonance for Bychkov, whose mother lived through the 900 days of the siege of Leningrad, still ravaging the city at the time of the second performance in the city. Bychkov first conducted the work with the Czech Philharmonic to open the 2021-22 season. This release continues the acclaimed partnership between the Czech Philharmonic and PENTATONE. Previous recordings with Semyon Bychkov include Mahler's Symphonies Nos. 1-5, released individually between 2022 and 2026 before being joined by the remaining symphonies in a complete Mahler box set; as well as the acclaimed recordings of Smetana's Ma vlast and Dvorak's Symphonies Nos. 7, 8 & 9 (2024).
Smetana's Libuse in an extraordinary performance by Jakub Hrusa and the Czech Philharmonic. This new recording of Smetana's Libuse captures one of the highpoints of the Year of Czech Music 2024, which brought together the Czech Philharmonic, the Prague Philharmonic Choir, and leading Czech vocal soloists under the baton of Jakub Hrusa. This festive opera, created for the opening of the National Theatre in Prague, transcends it's role as a historical tableau and a symbol of national identity. In it, Smetana tells a story of the search for a just order, the responsibilities of a ruler, and the ability to overcome personal disputes for the good of society as a whole, values that have lost none of their relevance. Soprano Katerina Knežíkova appears in the title role, combining the regal dignity of Princess Libuse with the lyrical tenderness and human dimension of this legendary figure. Conductor Jakub Hrusa reveals not only the monumental and ceremonial dimension of Smetana's score, but also it's wealth of colour, the transparency of it's more intimate passages, and the subtle shaping of psychological tension. Under his leadership, the Czech Philharmonic creates a dynamic arc that moves from conflict and reconciliation to Libuse's final prophecy - a grand vision of Czech history in which the past opens a path to the future. The recording was made in May and June 2024 at concerts of the Prague Spring International Music Festival and during preparations for the Smetana Litomysl Festival, as part of the Smetana200 project.
Debut album of the outstanding Czech violinist Jan Mracek The debut album of Jan Mracek, concertmaster of the Czech Philharmonic, introduces one of the leading Czech violinists of his generation in repertoire that combines virtuosity, lyricism, and youthful energy. The album's centrepiece is Josef Suk's Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 24, one of the crowning achievements of the Czech violin repertoire, reflecting the composer on the threshold of his mature creative period. The work combines a solo part of exceptional technical difficulty with rich orchestral colours and characteristic melodic invention. Accompanying Jan Mracek are the Czech Philharmonic under Sir John Eliot Gardiner, a world-famous conductor with a deep affinity for Czech music. Suk's Fantasy is paired with two early Romantic works with the soloist accompanied by the Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra. Franz Schubert's enchanting Rondo in A major for Violin and Strings blends melodic grace, elegance, and immediacy of expression. Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy wrote his Concerto in D minor for Violin and Chamber Orchestra at the beginning of his career at just 13 years of age. The work nonetheless exhibits noteworthy compositional assurance, a keen sense of form, and confident handling of the solo part. In all three compositions, Jan Mracek shows himself to be a performer combining technical brilliance with musical intelligence, stylistic sensitivity, and natural musicianship, and he is able to capture the individual character of each work.
Musical America has just announced its awarding of Conductor of the Year to Semyon Bychkov. To learn more, click here.
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After their critically-acclaimed recording of Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, the Czech Philharmonic and Semyon Bychkov continue their Pentatone Mahler cycle with a rendition of the composer’s Fifth. The Fifth Symphony marks an important turning point in Mahler’s symphonic output, away from the prominence of vocal movements in his previous symphonies. And whereas the Fifth seems to follow a teleology from darkness to light like its predecessors, the trajectory is much less straightforward, and full of enigmatic turns. Bychkov’s exceptional eye for detail and pacing make him an ideal guide through this work, while the Czech Philharmonic is capable of letting all the colors of Mahler’s score shine.
The Czech Philharmonic is one of the world’s most acclaimed orchestras, with a rich tradition of performing Czech masters and music from Central Europe. Semyon Bychkov has led the greatest orchestras of the world, and is Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Czech Philharmonic as of the 2018/2019 season. Orchestra and maestro made their Pentatone debut with a recording of Mahler’s Fourth Symphony (2022), kicking off a complete Mahler cycle.
REVIEWS:
Bychkov is careful to keep the strings’ lyric funeral-marches objective, and it’s fascinating how the Adagietto sounds otherworldly until the cellos bring in a richly portamentoed human warmth.
The pace generally keeps things on the move – crucial in what I think of as Mahler’s trickiest movement, the ‘stormy, vehement’ sequel to the opening ritual, paced to perfection – though there are a couple of unmarked slackenings in the outer movements. Only here does Bychkov seem to me to fall briefly victim to seeing ‘nicht eilen’ (don’t hasten) and ‘unmerklich etwas einhaltend’ (imperceptibly somewhat holding back) either side of the last big build and slamming on the brakes.
I’d have liked a bit more wildness in the central Scherzo, though the end is uproarious, and from the opening trumpet solo through the lopsided horn obbligato at the dancing heart of the work to the reassertion of the chorale at the end, the brass both individually and collectively play their parts in underlining that this is still very much one of the world’s great orchestras. In all there’s clarity and beauty of tone. The luminous recording captures both high and low frequencies with exceptional vividness.
-- BBC Music Magazine
Bychkov’s version opens up a very different way of seeing this virtually ubiquitous symphony and he delivers on that vision with great panache and total commitment from all involved. Bychkov has emerged in the last few years as an unmissable conductor and the thought of what he might do with the Sixth symphony after hearing this Fifth has me tingling with anticipation.
A look at the great talent of Dvorak's pupils in an original selection of famous and less famous works The present compilation - a sequel to the 3CD set The Many Loves of Antonin Dvorak - is intended as a timely reminder of the wealth and sheer diversity of talented Czech composers who emerged from Dvorak's masterclass at the Prague Conservatoire during the 1890s and early 1900s. Dvorak, approaching fifty and at the height of his fame, had been persuaded to devote some of his time to teaching at the Conservatoire, thereby creating a lasting legacy, an influential "Dvorak School" of composers, several of whom went on to teach at the Conservatoire themselves, passing on the tradition to future generations. Naturally, the most room is given to Josef Suk, the pupil of Dvorak who left the most original legacy of compositions. A separate CD is devoted to Dvorak's lesser-known pupils: the talented melodist Oskar Nedbal won fame for his operettas, and Julius Fucik is celebrated for his witty marches, while the legendary violinist Jaroslav Kocian wrote music for his own instrument, and the Czechoslovak Legionnaire Rudolf Karel was an exemplary patriot. Also of interest are composers who are entirely forgotten apart from a single work of greater significance, like Adolf Piskacek, Vojtech Kuchynka, and Arnost Praus. A third CD belongs to the underappreciated master Vitezslav Novak, whose distinctive modernism builds upon Dvorak in an interesting manner. Once again, there is an excellent selection of music from the Supraphon catalogue with all of the most important names such as the violinist Josef Suk, the pianist Ivan Moravec, and the conductors Vaclav Talich, Karel sejna, and Libor Pesek. Other outstanding performers on this compilation include Igor Ardashev, Jan Panenka, Emil Leichner, Josef Vlach, Josef Veselka, Karla sroubek, Vaclav Snitil, Richard Novak, Beno Blachut, Ivan Kusnjer, and many others. The English music journalist Patrick Lambert, an important expert on Czech music with deep knowledge of the Supraphon catalogue, selected the music and wrote the insightful text in the booklet.
This collection from the legacy of Jirí Belohlávek was put together during the year after the demise of this outstanding conductor. It is intended mainly as a recollection of this extraordinary musician and person. His life can be briefly described by enumerating the greatest of his achievements (Chief Conductor of the Czech Philharmonic, BBC Symphony Orchestra, guest conductor with the Berliner Philharmoniker, New York Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw, appearances at the MET, Glyndebourne, etc.; holder of the Commander of the Order of the British Empire /CBE/ title). The Maestro himself may have preferred a sharing of memories to recordings; yet the set of twenty-three pieces taken from the almost three hundred pieces from Supraphon archives and recorded in the years 1971 – 2016 is a wonderful illustration of Belohlávek’s professional maturing. They capture him as a conductor of several leading Czech orchestras, beginning with the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra and concluding by the Czech Philharmonic and Prague Philharmonia. In the very centre of Belohlávek’s repertoire we find compositions by Dvorák (From the New World), Smetana (My Country), Suk, Janácek and, notably, Martinu, whom he introduced to the world. The collection is enriched by several side-steps into other areas of repertoire including Mozart, Ravel, Mahler and Bartók, which documents the amazing scope of the conductor’s focus.
Grieg, Ravel & Prokofiev: Piano Concertos / Moravec
Supraphon
CD · 1 disc
$31.99Apr 20, 2018
The highly valued discography of Ivan Moravec (1930-2015), one of the 20th century’s piano legends, comes to a great extent from recording studios. However, thanks to radio microphones some of his remarkable concert performances in Prague concert halls could be retrieved as well. From 1962 on, he performed twenty times at the Prague Spring festival alone. He played Prokofiev’s first concerto at the festival in May 1967 and the recording captures one of the top – and also one of the last – performances of Karel Ancerl with the Czech Philharmonics before his leaving for Toronto. The Ravel recording from May 1974 represents another unforgettable musical experience and no doubt also one of the best Ravel creations ever performed by Moravec. What is more, the recording of the Grieg concert played in December 1984 is the only recording made public by the virtuoso pianist. Microphones have captured Ivan Moravec in his top shape, his play possessing romantic flight, ferocity and a wide range of timbre nuances on the one hand, and remarkable preciseness on the other. At every moment, Moravec is deeply sunk in the substance of the work he performs. By this threesome of recordings, Supraphon supplements the pianist’s existing discography by unexpected gems found in the radio archives, undoubtedly pleasing all of his admirers.
REVIEW:
These three performances, recorded live with applause retained, do not lack brilliance. But there is an enviable solidity of tone, a seriousness of view, and evident care taken over pacing, balance, and style. These are all features of the Moravec manner that appeal to his admirers.
Magdalena Kozena presents a recital of Czech songs, together with the Czech Philharmonic under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle. The first impression of Czech songs may be atmospheric nature scenes, or stories about pretty peasant girls and village pranks, but the selection on this album demonstrates that the imagination of Czech song composers stretched far wider. For example, Bohuslav Martinu's Nipponari were inspired by Japanese culture, whereas his folksy Songs on One Page obtain a deeper meaning knowing that he wrote them in the US, having fled the Nazi threat. His colleagues and contemporaries Hans Krasa and Gideon Klein did not manage to get away, and both died in concentration camps. Krasa's German-language Four Orchestral Songs show a fascination with nonsense verse typical of avant-garde circles in the early 1920s. Klein's Lullaby can be traced back to Jewish folk songs, yet it's musical realization displays an openness to French musical styles. And no Czech song recital would be complete without good old Antonin Dvorak, whose Evening Songs and Songs, Op. 2 are included. Many of these works are best known with piano accompaniment, but are presented here in orchestrations. The Czech Philharmonic and Sir Simon Rattle marvellously bring out all the colours, while Kozena once more showcases her mastery in vernacular song.
Magdalena Kožená’s fourth Pentatone album Folk Songs brings together folk-inspired song cycles from across the globe. Ranging from Berio’s Folk Songs to sets by Bartók, Ravel and Montsalvatge, this collection provides a kaleidoscope of twentieth-century orchestral song composition. Kožená performs them together with the Czech Philharmonic under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle.
REVIEW:
Kožená is on gleaming form in music that largely suits her voice well, and the orchestra plays fabulously for Rattle.
The Czech Philharmonic and Music Director, Semyon Bychkov, continue their acclaimed Mahler cycle with the composer’s First Symphony, one of the most evocative and colourful symphonic debuts in the history of the genre. Mahler once famously said that “a symphony should be like the world, it should encompass everything.” In his First Symphony, he creates just such a world, filled with animal sounds, hunting horns, rural dances, klezmer bands and allusions to his own songs and folk song melodies such as Frère Jacques. These elements all function within a highly subjective, immersive symphonic drama, providing a blueprint for most of his symphonies to come. Semyon Bychkov and the Czech Philharmonic approach the composer’s firstling with their esteemed eye for detail and pacing, matched by their unmistakably Bohemian sound. The Czech Philharmonic is one of the world’s orchestral gems, recognised for its rich tradition with the Czech masters as well as European repertoire. Semyon Bychkov who is internationally renowned for his interpretations of the core repertoire, began his tenure with the Orchestra at the start of the 2018/19 season. Their recording of Mahler’s First Symphony follows Mahler’s Fourth and Fifth Symphonies (both 2022) and the Second Symphony (2023), part of the complete Mahler cycle to be released by Pentatone.
REVIEW:
The orchestra’s magical combination of richness, precision, and nuance is instantly in evidence, with brass and wind pinpoint and the strings characteristically shimmering and sinuous in the opening movement before making merry in Kraftig bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell. The control and perfection of Bychkov’s pacing in the third movement, and the way his forces combine in Sturmisch Bewegt with such attack one minute and astonishing fluidity the next, epitomizes a reading of beauty and depth.
Three live recordings from Lucerne, released for the first time, commemorate Vaclav Neumann, one of the most distinguished podium stars of the so-called Eastern Bloc. As chief conductor of the legendary Czech Philharmonic Orchestra for many years, Neumann was regarded as an accomplished advocate of the music of his homeland in particular, which he shaped without sentimentality, but rather with a sense of form, a love of detail and a singing espressivo. "I am a Czech through and through," Vaclav Neumann once confessed - thus subliminally hinting that even in the politically turbulent times of the Cold War, he could not imagine any other homeland than Prague. Czech identity was also his artistic trademark, especially during his years at the helm of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, which he conducted from 1968 to 1990 and established as a cultural ambassador for his country on countless tours. The impetus for his international career, however, came from the GDR, where Neumann worked at Walter Felsenstein's Komische Oper in Berlin and later as Gewandhaus and opera conductor in Leipzig - a position steeped in tradition, which he resigned in 1968 in protest against the events of the "Prague Spring". In the summer of 1969, the Czech Philharmonic was the first orchestra from beyond the "Iron Curtain" to perform at the Lucerne Festival - under Neumann's baton, of course. Four further guest appearances followed between 1984 and 1990, including thrilling interpretations of Dvorak's Eighth Symphony, his late tone poem The Wood Dove and the prelude to Smetana's opera Libuse. Neumann never lapses into national emphasis, instead seeking a balance between richly nuanced lines - the trained violinist and violist spoke of the "singing orchestra" -, strict form and precise realisation of the musical text. All three live recordings are first releases. The 32-page, trilingual booklet contains a portrait of the conductor by Michael Struck-Schloen and shows previously unpublished photos from the festival archive. In cooperation with audite, Lucerne Festival presents outstanding concert recordings of formative festival artists in the "Historic Performances" series. The aim of the edition is to unearth hitherto largely unpublished treasures from the first six decades of the Festival, which was born in 1938 with a "Concert de Gala" conducted by Arturo Toscanini. The audio documents come from the archives of SRF Swiss Radio and Television, which has regularly broadcast the Lucerne concerts since the beginning. They have been carefully restored and supplemented with material and photos from the Lucerne Festival archive: a festival history in sound.
The eminent Martha Argerich is one of the most loved and admired classical pianists of all time. She quickly gained and maintained world-wide reputation for her exciting performances. This set is the 11th volume of DOREMI's special series of live performances and broadcasts featuring the artistry of the young Martha Argerich. Most items are first release ever. The performances here are live recordings from her Venice recital in February 1969, and from her Cologne broadcast in September 1960.
Martha Argerich Live, Vol. 8: Tchaikovsky, R. Schumann, Chopin & More
Doremi
CD · 2 discs
$40.99Oct 07, 2022
Over 20 years ago, Alex Ross, the noted music critic for the New Yorker, described the atmosphere of a Martha Argerich recital in terms reminiscent of the golden age of nineteenth century piano virtuosos: “Her concerts conjure up scenes from another place and time: grown men running down the aisles clutching bouquets, world-renowned musicians pummeling the railings of the upper boxes, jaded critics breaking into foolish smiles.” The subject of these rapturous responses, has, unlike the traditional virtuoso, played relatively few solo recitals, preferring to make music with others. This set is the 8th volume of DOREMI’s special series of live performances and broadcasts featuring the artistry of the young Martha Argerich.
The Jungle Book is a studio recording of music by Marko Ivanovic, created for a theatrical music-and-dance project on which the composer and conductor collaborated with the Forman Brothers’ Theatre, Dekkadancers, the Czech Philharmonic, and Jatka78 Theatre. The world premiere of the project, based on Rudyard Kipling’s eponymous novel took place in Azyl78 in Prague in June 2022 and was followed by nearly two dozen performances in the following month, all completely sold out.
On this new album, Ivanovic has been joined by an orchestra composed of members of the Czech Philharmonic. Its release marks this year’s block of performances of The Jungle Book which will take place between 28 May and 18 June 2023, again on the scene of Azyl78. Marko Ivanovic has not only authored the music but has also co-authored the script and conducts the fifteen member orchestra during the performances. The Jungle Book is, in his words, his first attempt at a form in which music and dance, rather than words, narrate the story and carry its meaning. He adds: “For me, as a former boy scout, Kipling's book and its message and atmosphere have always held a strong appeal. And the opportunity to try and emulate in music the world of wild and seemingly chaotic nature, where a deep, unchanging order reigns has been a wonderfully inspiring experience.”
Marko Ivanovic is currently the chief conductor of the Janácek Theatre in Brno. He is also a dedicatedpromoter of contemporary music and has contributed to many first Czech performances of major foreign works. Together with Petr Kadlec, he has established a series of educational programmes ofclassical and contemporary music for young audiences. His previous successful collaborations with Forman Brothers’ Theatre include music for the opera “Carokraj” (2012) and his instrumentation of the score of Jirí Suchý and Jirí Šlitr’s jazz opera “Dobre placená procházka” for a new production at the National Theatre in Prague in 2007 (directed by Miloš and Petr Forman).el deployment of live electronics.
The Czech Philharmonic and its Chief Conductor and Music Director Semyon Bychkov present a new recording of Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, laying the foundation of a complete Mahler symphonies cycle to appear on PENTATONE. It will be the label’s first ever full Mahler cycle, and the Czech Philharmonic’s first survey of this extraordinary symphonic opus since their recording under Vacláv Neumann between 1976 and 1982. Although chiefly active in Vienna during the heydays of his career, Mahler was born in what is now the Czech republic, and through this recording project, he returns to his native soil. For conductor Semyon Bychkov, Mahler’s symphonies are all about expressing the polyphony of life, and recording these works is the fulfilment of a life-long fascination. This cycle deliberately starts with the most popular and frequently-played Fourth, famous for its macabre scherzo, soothing slow movement and heavenly finale, sung by soprano Chen Reiss. The Czech Philharmonic is one of the world’s most acclaimed orchestras, with a rich tradition of performing Czech masters and music from Central Europe. Semyon Bychkov has led the greatest orchestras of the world, and is Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Czech Philharmonic as of the 2018/2019 season. Soprano Chen Reiss frequently appears on the biggest opera and concert stages throughout the world. Chen Reiss, Semyon Bychkov and the Czech Philharmonic all make their PENTATONE debut.
REVIEW:
The music of Gustav Mahler may have no greater champions than the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and Semyon Bychkov, the orchestra's music director since 2018. The Czech Philharmonic's association with Mahler dates back to 1908, when the composer led the orchestra in the premiere of his Symphony No. 7.
Soprano Chen Reiss is a perfect match for the finale. She delivers the light playfulness necessary to depict a child and is equally serious when the mood shifts. The trust and communication between the musicians of the Czech Philharmonic and Bychkov is evident throughout as the orchestra responds to his demands and delivers an exciting and clean reading. One looks forward to further editions in this cycle with anticipation.
The Czech Philharmonic and its Chief Conductor and Music Director Semyon Bychkov continue their acclaimed Mahler cycle with the composer's Third Symphony, working together with mezzo-soprano Catriona Morison, the Prague Philharmonic Choir and Pueri Gaudentes. In this monumental work, Mahler combines a text from Nietzsche's Also sprach Zarathustra with the folk song inspirations of Des Knaben Wunderhorn, culminating in eternal bliss in the closing Adagio. To Bychkov, this longest Mahler symphony offers his "least hysterical" music, and hearing it for the first time as a 10-year-old choirboy kindled his life-long fascination and love for this composer. With this recording, it comes full circle.
The Czech Philharmonic - recently awarded Gramophone's Orchestra of the Year Award - is one of the world's orchestral gems, recognized for its rich tradition with the Czech masters as well as European repertoire. Together with their Chief Conductor and Music Director Semyon Bychkov, they have so far recorded for PENTATONE Mahler's First, Second, Fourth and Fifth Symphonies (2022-2023), part of the complete Mahler cycle to be released by the label, as well as Smetana's Ma vlast and Dvorak's Seventh, Eighth and Ninth Symphonies (2024). The Orchestra is also featured on the albums Folk Songs (2023) and Czech Songs (2024) recorded by Magdalena Ko�ena and Sir Simon Rattle, as well as Dvorak Legends & Rhapsodies with Tomas Netopil.
Charles Mackerras has shown himself one of the finest Janacek conductors. His readings convey a sense of burning belief in and love of Janacek's music; they are well prepared; yet it is as if the strangeness and beauty of the music were being revealed for the first time. The engineers have excelled themselves, matching this bold approach with an equally bold recording... In the four Preludes the performances are excellently dramatic, and most moving. (Gramophone)
![Dvořák: Symphonies Nos. 8 & 9 [3 LPs] / Mackerras, Prague Symphony Orchestra](http://arkivmusic.com/cdn/shop/files/3992655-2849728.jpg?v=1786831809&width=400)
