The Old Testament Book of Lamentations has been subjected to a number of settings since the Middle Ages; that of Jan Dismas Zelenka occupies a significant position among them. In his Lamentations, Zelenka succeeded in combining the contemplative aspect with a powerful dramatic charge. His penchant for unusual instrumentation is evident in, for instance, the final Lamentation (solo violin, bassoon and chalumeau). Zelenka only set to music two lessons of the first Nocturne for each day; here, every third reading takes the form of Gregorian chant, as was most likely heard at the Dresden court.

Classical Music

Classical Music

J.V.H. VORISEK; V.J.K. TOMASEK. MUSICA FLOREA; MAREK STRYNCL, CONDUCTOR. MISSA SOLEMNIS IN B, OP. 24; OFFERTORIA (MENTIS OPPRESSAE, QUONIAM INIQUITATEM); GRADUALE; BENEDICTUS ES; MESSA CON GRADUALE ET OFFERTORIO, OP 46.

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Selection includes Vaclav Talich speaking about Mozart to a young audience.
All tracks have been digitally mastered using 24-bit technology.

Selection includes Reminiscences of Václav Talich.
Selection includes Václav Talich rehearsing Dvorák's Cello Concerto.
Selection includes Speech by Václav Talich on his name day.
Selection includes Václav Talich rehearsing Dvorák's "New World" Symphony.
All tracks have been digitally mastered using 24-bit technology.

Classical Music

All tracks have been digitally mastered using 24-bit technology.

With Václav Jan Tomášek we find ourselves at the furthermost border marking the realm of the Music from 18th Century Prague cycle. Without his music, however, the edition would not have been complete. Shortly after his arrival in Prague, Tomášek became renowned for his piano playing skills, later winning the moniker of the "Music Pope". Not only was he an outstanding pianist and fruitful composer, but he also became a sought-after music teacher. His students included composer Jan Václav Hugo Voříšek, famous critic Eduard Hanslick as well as a number of virtuoso pianists. Tomášek's music oscillates between late classicist and early romantic style with songs and piano compositions making the bulk of his oeuvre. Sadly, only a little fragment of these are accessible on recordings. The present recording brings three out of his seven fortepiano sonatas; they are performed on a copy of a period instrument. Tomášek's sonatas are marked by ap rofuseness of musical ideas and often also unusual modulation plans. Since her fortepiano studies in Paris, Petra Matějová has performed extensively, made a number of recordings and led master classes in several European countries. Her ambition in making thi srecording was to convince listeners and pianists alike that the time has come to bring Tomášek's work to new life and give it back its well-deserved place on concert stages.

Classical Music

BEDRICH SMEANTA; ANTONIN DVOARK; JOSEF SUK; VITEZSLAV NOVAK; LEOS JANACEK: The Smetana Quartet; The Panocha Quartet; The Skampa Quartet. (3CDs) THE BEST OF CZECH CLASSICS - STRING QUARTETS - BEDIRCH SMETANA: String Quartet No. 1 in E minor 'From My Life'; String Quartet No. 2 in D minor; ANTONIN DVORAK: String Quartet No. 10 in E flat major, Op. 51 'Slovonic'; String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96'american' ; String Quartet No. 13 in G major, Op. 106; JOSEF SUK: Meditation on an Old Czech Hymn 'St Wenceslas', Op. 35a; VITEZSLAV NOVAK: String Quartet No. 1 inspired by Tolstoy's 'Kreutzer s

Classical Music

Taneyev (1856–1915) composed three quintets, each with a different instrumental line-up. The Piano Quintet of 1911 was the last of them, but before that he had written a G major String Quintet for two violins, viola and two cellos and a String Quintet in C major for two violins, two violas and cello. With such a variety of timbre, the three works make for a fascinating two-disc set, especially when played with such sensitivity and thought as by the ensemble here.

Allied to his secure structures and well-considered counterpoint, Taneyev also had a musical heart, often passionately expressed and with a dynamic, romantic impulse. Those are qualities that come across clearly in these performances: they have a strong backbone, but equally are alert to the lithe interplay between the five instruments to create substantial canvases in sound.

– The Telegraph (UK)

Classical Music