Vaclav Smetacek

If you take it for granted that Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli was the greatest pianist of the twentieth century and that his performances of Beethoven's "Emperor" Concerto were the greatest of the twentieth century, then you'll probably want to pick up this disc containing Michelangeli's fabled May 29, 1957, performance in Prague with Vaclav Smetacek and the Prague Symphony Orchestra. Although Smetacek is not the deepest, the greatest, or the most sympathetic accompanist Michelangeli ever had, and although the Prague players are not always quite on their best behavior, Michelangeli is as he always is in this work: absolutely definite.

In many ways Ma Vlast seems like a problematic work. It is full of patriotism and conductors often choose to exploit its grandeur. Such approaches bring a risk of heaviness. Nikolaus Harnoncourt managed to employ slow tempi and achieve a deeper look without a trace of ponderousness, but his feat was remarkable and difficult to emulate. (Harnoncourt takes 83 minutes compared to 73 for Smetacek, a huge difference.) So Smetacek's decision to go for abandon and delight seems wise. The Czech Phil adds volumes to the treat, with a warm, juicy tone that is almost as enjoyable in this repertoire as the Vienna Phil. In addition, Supraphon's sound is splendid, about as good as early digital gets.

Václav Hudeček ranks among the most gifted violinists, not only on a Czech but also an international scale, to have graced a 20th-century concert stage. Following his debut in London (at the tender age of 15!) with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, he appeared at the most prestigious concert venues (Carnegie Hall, Suntory Hall, Osaka Festival Hall, Sydney Opera) with worldrenowned orchestras (Berliner Philharmoniker, Cleveland Symphony Orchestra, NHK Philharmonic Orchestra, Gewandhaus Leipzig, etc.). David Oistrakh, who immediately recognised Hudeček’s exceptional talent, was his teacher and mentor, and on several albums accompanied him as a conductor too.

The common denominator of the recordings of these three virtuoso concertos is the name of the soloist. In 1932 František Hanták, still a student, was called up by Václav Talich to assume the post of first oboe of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. Hanták was concurrently a member of Czech Nonet and later on also performed with the Czech Wind Quintet and the ground-breaking ensemble Ars rediviva. Following on from the previous CD comprising concertos by Mozart, Richard Strauss and Martinu (SU39552), this album features other gems from Hanták’s discography in Supraphon’s archives: the legendary 1951 recording of Kramár’s Concerto in F major, the “Haydn” concerto (with the yet to be clarified question of its authorship), with the Prague Symphony Orchestra and Mozart’s lovely Sinfonia concertante, K 297b, with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Václav Smetácek (1965).

Richter's rendition of Grieg concerto is uncompromising and as hard as nature itself, none of the Romantic sentimentality often associated with this piece. One can feel the capacity of the instrument is stretched to the limit in octave passages. No pianists can match Richter's Grieg in its depth, grandeur and etherial beauty of the slow movement. Rubinstein once said, in the Film Richter the Enigma, that piano sounded so different when he heard Richter played, these two concerto recordings are the prime example.

When the violin maestro Josef Suk, celebrating his 80th birthday this year, recorded for Supraphon a CD of Antonín Dvorák’s and Josef Suk’s chamber works (SU 3976-2) last year, the reviewers marvelled at the album’s intimate mood, tone and interpretational directness. These attributes are also characteristic of his latest release, “Romance”. On these 30-year-old recordings, Suk is backed by the two finest Czech orchestras. The album is abounding in the very qualities synonymous with Suk’s illustrious name: the beautiful, mellow and cultivated tone of his Stradivarius, sparkling technique and depth of feeling. These pieces by Czech and foreign composers are as though tailored to Suk’s virtuosity.

J.S.Bach - Concertos For Violin, Concerto For Two Violins, Concerto For Violin & Oboe - Josef Suk (1988)
EAC Rip | FLAC (img + cue), LOG | TT 65:32 | Covers (jpg 300 dpi) | RAR 357 MB (3% Recovery)
Supraphon | Czechoslovakia | 11 0642-2 011 | 1988

The soloist in all the concertos of our recording is Josef Suk (1929), the grandson of the composer Josef Suk (1874-1935) and great- grandson of Antonin Dvorak. Since 1954, he has been pursuing an uninterrupted and diversified solo career and has become the most eminent Czech violin virtuoso of his generation. Suk's partner in Bach's Concerto for Two Violins is the Czech violin virtuoso Ladislav Jasek (1929), who has been active in Australia since the early 1970's. The oboe part in the Double Concerto in D minor BWV 1060a is played by Jan Adamus (1951).