Suk

Josef Suk was a pupil of the great Czech composer Dvorák. He married Dvorák's daughter Otilie (who, by the way, was also talented as a composer). Suk began this symphony after the death of his beloved mentor and father-in-law, Dvorák. Otilie died toward the end of its composition, which prompted Suk to recompose it and invest it with even deeper feeling. At that time he added the subtitle, which is the name of the legendary "Angel of Death" who attends the souls of the departed and offers them hope. The hour-long, five-movement work is a passionate outpouring of feeling. The first contrasts two themes representing, on the one hand, destiny and death and, on the other, happiness in life. The second, an Andante, is a funeral march. The third is a scherzo contrasting the dance of death and reminiscences of life. The fourth movement, a radiantly tragic Adagio, is said to be a portrait of Otilie. The fifth movement begins in a stern mood, but gradually offers hope, closing in peace and bliss. It is a deeply affecting work in a style fairly similar to that of Richard Strauss' tone poems.

Legendary, critically acclaimed Suk recordings of Martinù’s concertos in newly re-mastered form. In 1973, together with the conductor Georg Solti, Josef Suk premiered Martinù’s first violin concerto in Chicago. This 'Paris-era' concerto was originally written for the famous violinist Samuel Dushkin. However, it was later mislaid, only to be rediscovered and premiered some 40 years later.

Julia Fischer follows her extraordinary Grammy-nominated recording of the Paganini Caprices with a contrasting album - a lyrical and poetic set of impressionistic works for violin and orchestra.

The 11 works Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) created for piano trio make up a group of pieces equally remarkable as his 16 string quartets. With over half of them written before 1800, prior to the composer's turning 30, they clearly reveal his creative flights and struggles, first and foremost serving to attest to the grand formation of Beethoven's compositional principles and the attainment of his apex. The present 4-CD album features the Suk Trio, who soon after their establishment in 1951 gained international renown and recognition. The recordings of Beethoven's piano trios for Japan's Nippon Columbia, completed within a short timeframe, from June 1983 to April 1984, were made by the mature ensemble when it included the violinist Josef Suk, the cellist Josef Chuchro and the pianist Josef Hála, who in 1980 had replaced Jan Panenka.

Following the collections of symphonies (Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Kletzki, SU 4051-2) and violin sonatas (Suk, Panenka, SU 4077-2), Supraphon is now releasing the complete Beethoven concertante pieces. All of them (including the Triple Concerto and the genre-unique Fantasia for Piano, Chorus and Orchestra) came into being within a mere sixteen years, between 1793 and 1809. Although Beethoven deemed the piano "an imperfect instrument", his five piano concertos form one of the cornerstones of his oeuvre and represent a significant landmark in this genre.

The Suk Trio is one of the most historically present and enduring piano trios from Czechoslovakia. Although the piano and cello chairs have been filled by several different musicians since the group's formation in 1951, the most historically and musically notable member has always been violinist Josef Suk, grandson of composer Josef Suk and great-grandson of the venerable Antonin Dvorák. This album, featuring the greatest hits of Beethoven's piano trios (numbers 3, 5, and 7) and Schubert's First Piano Trio, was originally recorded in the mid-'60s. The disc's remastered sound is pleasingly clear and clean. Each of the trio's members is exceptionally skilled. Technical execution cannot be faulted; articulation between the strings is abundantly crisp and refined.

Josef Suk began writing the funeral symphony Asrael to commemorate his teacher and father-in-law Antonín Dvořák. During the course of work, however, Fate dealt him another crushing blow: Asrael, the Angel of Death, took away Suk’s wife and Dvořák’s daughter, Otilie. The symphony is a story of a suffering whose strength seems simply unendurable, yet also a story of its overcoming, seeking solace and hope.

Beethoven - Violin Concerto, Romances Nos. 1 & 2 - Josef Suk (1988)
EAC Rip | FLAC (img + cue), LOG | TT 63:09 | Covers (jpg 300 dpi) | RAR 325 MB (3% Recovery)
Supraphon | Czechoslovakia | 11 0628-2 011 | 1988

The interpreter is the Czech violinist Josef Suk (1929). Having completed his studies in Prague, he devoted himself to both chamber music and solo performances. Among his repertoire Suk includes works not only by Dvorak, Suk and Beethoven but also by Berg, Janacek and Martinu. The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, with whom Suk appeared as a soloist for many years, performs here under the direction of the conductor Franz Konwitschny (1901-1962). Konwitschny first began his musical career as a violinist and viola player; he took up the baton succesfully for the first time in 1927. In 1949 he was made Director of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, and later took up the post of Principal Conductor at both the Dresden and Berlin Operas. Milos Navratil

The music of Josef Suk, pupil of Dvorák and married to the elder composer’s daughter, is only now beginning to be recognized for its true worth. Presented here are three relatively early works, brimming with youthful enthusiasm but already showing considerable individuality, a highly developed approach to structure, and, occasionally, a touch of the melancholy introspection which was to inform many of the composer’s later works. A talented violinist, Suk lends to his chamber compositions a true understanding of the genre, while his thoroughly ‘Czech’ musical upbringing ensures strong representation for the folk and dance influences to be found in the music of many of his contemporaries.

The two large-scale works by Dvořák and Smetana are complemented here by the one- movement Elegy, by Josef Suk, Dvořák’s student and later son-in-law. Formed in 2007, the Sitkovetsky Trio performs worldwide and has received numerous awards and critical acclaim, but is here making its début on disc, in a programme perfectly suited to the ensemble’s virtuosic and impassioned music-making.