Schumann R., Franck C. Ivan Moravec & Czech Philharmonic Orchestra Neumann (1988)

…Jan Panenka makes an honest reading of Schumann Op conferring it of serene poise and distinguished phrasing. Ancerl underlines magnificently the orchestral details to make at least a listenable version. But the jewel of the crown was the radiant and original reading of this battlehorse piece so many listened. Gilels' approach is very attractive, progressively he gets to imbue us around this Russian taste implicit in Tchaikovsky's first Symphony better known as "Winter dreams" . The Second Movement (in the 5:23) Ancerl makes a memorable rubato that really engaged me. Additionally, Gilels with his notable trills, provides the dreamlike atmosphere so typical from Tchaikovsky's ballets. The Final movement is lively and remarkably exciting.

Few other composers’ music enjoys such enormous popularity and is as frequently performed on stages worldwide and recorded as that of Antonín Dvořák. And it is the symphonic works that are connected with his name most often. The new Supraphon eight-disc box features several complete sets and encompasses Dvořák’s most significant symphonic pieces. Alongside the Symphonic Poems and Concert Overtures, Supraphon is releasing for the first time on CD Václav Neumann’s sensitively remastered 1972-74 analogue recordings of the complete symphonies (until now, only the digital recordings from the 1980s had been released on CD). Václav Neumann linked up to the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra’s bold Dvořák tradition in the wake of his illustrious predecessors Václav Talich and Karel Ančerl and developed it in sonic colourfulness and romantic sweep.

We first heard Sawallisch in Prague conducting the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra during the Prague Spring festival of 1958 and since then he has been a guest at this festival seven times more. In between, however, he has also been a guest conductor of the Czech Philharmonic and we even heard himas a pianist with Josef Suk as his sonata partner. Sawallisch, as one of the leading opera conductors today and a great admirer of Czech music, literally fell in love with the Czech Philharmonic Chorus which he conducted in big oratorios and cantatas (he even invited it in 1964 to the Milan La Scala for several performances of Wagner's Lohengrin). He very gladly visits us tocollaborate both with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and its chorus.

Václav Neumann was one of the most distinguished conductors of the so-called Eastern Bloc. The long-serving chief conductor of the legendary Czech Philharmonic was principally regarded as an accomplished advocate of the music of his homeland, which he interpreted with a strong sense of form, love of detail, and a vocal espressivo, eschewing any sentimentality. This is also evident in these live recordings made in Lucerne, now released for the first time.

Karel Ancerl’s incomparable recording of Janácek’s resplendently barbaric Sinfonietta remains not only the finest available version of the work, but also is the best recorded … Although it was captured as long ago as 1961, no other version so effectively conveys the panoramic splendor of the trumpet-led opening across the stereo spectrum, no other offers such clarity in passages such as the finale’s hair-raising wind writing, and no other balances the orchestra against the massed brass of the closing pages so naturally and cleanly. Technically it’s quite an achievement …

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.

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 colours of Mahler’s score shine.