Pcpilot 112

The 'heavenly lengths' Schumann loved in late Schubert are as much in evidence in the sublime G major quartet as in the other large-scale works of Schubert's final years. The Takacs Quartet's earlier Hyperion recordings of Schubert were hailed as 'near ideal' and 'superlative' and this new release is every bit as fine.

Bedrich Smetana's cycle Má vlast is not only the culmination of his symphonic output, it also occupies a unique position in Czech music and conveys a very special message of national character for Czech society. "Sublime", one reviewer called the remarkable live performance of Smetana's Ma vlast by an extended Collegium 1704 during the Prague Spring Festival of 2021. The Czech ensemble played on period instruments and thanks to the Czech conductor Václav Luks, Smetana's masterpiece is a "source of innovation, a living history that took listeners on a journey of pride and inspiration".

Bedrich Smetana's cycle Má vlast is not only the culmination of his symphonic output, it also occupies a unique position in Czech music and conveys a very special message of national character for Czech society. "Sublime", one reviewer called the remarkable live performance of Smetana's Ma vlast by an extended Collegium 1704 during the Prague Spring Festival of 2021. The Czech ensemble played on period instruments and thanks to the Czech conductor Václav Luks, Smetana's masterpiece is a "source of innovation, a living history that took listeners on a journey of pride and inspiration". The album can only be described in one way: a must for every music lover.

Amongst a pantheon of great Czech composers it is Bedrich Smetana who is revered as the musical personification of his country’s national spirit and the founder of its modern musical character. Composed after the onset of Smetana’s incurable deafness, Má vlast (My Fatherland) is an unprecedented cycle of six related symphonic poems that evoke ancient Czech legends and celebrate the majestic beauty of the country’s landscapes. Acclaimed with ‘unending storms of applause’ at its 1882 premiere, Má vlast reflects the unique characteristics that form the living heart and soul of the Czech nation.

Compared to other European orchestras with centuries-old legacies, the relatively young Bamberg Symphony Orchestra has earned a reputation through its many tours and recordings. The ensemble was founded in 1946 by members of the Prague Deutsche Philharmonie, a wartime orchestra that only lasted from 1939 until 1945. The orchestra's principal conductors have been Joseph Keilberth (1940-1945, 1949-1968), Herbert Albert (1947-1948), Eugen Jochum (1948-1949, 1968-1973), James Loughran (1978-1983), Witold Rowicki (1983-1985), and Horst Stein (from 1985). Jonathan Nott took over the post in 2000.