Name: Josef Suk: Orchestral Works
Price: 17 USD
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The symphony is attractively neat and satisfying, but Ripening is on a completely new emotional plane, with a Mahlerian juxtaposition of emotions, a scintillating emotional thrust and a virtuoso... — Classic FM Magazine, December 2010, 5 out of 5 stars More…

Release Date: 31st Aug 2010
Catalogue No: CHSA5081
Label: Chandos
Length: 78 minutes

BBC Music Magazine

November 2010

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Suk: The Ripening, Op. 34

Work length38:10

$8.00

$9.75

$12.00

Jiří Bělohlávek, BBC Symphony Orchestra, New London Chamber Choir

I. Adagio, quasi Andante

Track length8:20

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$1.95

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II. Poco allegro inquieto e poco rubato

Track length3:14

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$1.60

III. Adagio

Track length4:54

$1.00

$1.30

$1.60

IV. Più tranquillo

Track length6:41

$1.00

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$1.60

V. Allegro. L'istesso tempo

Track length5:29

$1.00

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VI. A tempo. Tempo di Fuga

Track length4:28

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VII. Adagio e sempre tranquillo

Track length5:04

$1.00

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Suk: Symphony No. 1, Op. 14

Work length40:18

$9.00

$8.45

$10.40

Jiří Bělohlávek, BBC Symphony Orchestra

I. Allegro, ma non troppo

Track length11:30

$3.00

$2.60

$3.20

II. Adagio

Track length9:48

$2.00

$1.95

$2.40

III. Allegro vivace

Track length6:32

$1.00

$1.30

$1.60

IV. Allegro

Track length12:28

$3.00

$2.60

$3.20

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The Czech maestro Jiří Bělohlávek performs works by his countryman Josef Suk, conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra, with whom he is their Chief Conductor.

As a composer, Josef Suk followed in the tradition of Smetana and Dvořák, the latter of whom was not only his professor at the Prague Conservatory, but also became his father-in-law – Suk married Dvořák’s oldest surviving daughter, Otilie, in 1898, and the death of Dvořák in 1904 and ‘Otilka’ a year later resulted in the composition of one of the composer’s most powerful and deeply felt works, the Asrael Symphony – also recorded by Bělohlávek (CHAN 9640).

Like Novák – another key Dvořák pupil – Suk fully embraced his national background, composing in a late romantic style imbued with his individual approach to impressionism and native folk culture.

Following the success of his Serenade in E flat, Suk wished to take up the challenge of writing a symphony, influenced as he was by the contributions to the genre of his own teacher, and of Brahms. Suk’s First Symphony was actually begun in London in 1897 and completed two years later. This new CD provides an excellent opportunity to hear the rarely recorded early work, with its fresh melodic appeal and inventive orchestration.

Ripening is one of the composer’s masterpieces, a highly colourful and superbly sustained symphonic poem, brilliantly orchestrated, with a chorus making its wordless contribution at the work’s late, emotional highpoint. Suk said of Ripening: ‘I worked on this composition for almost five years. In its very cohesive musical form you will find all degrees of human emotions. In this piece I immerse myself once more into the joys and tragic shadows of life but towards the end I emphasise, in the large fugue, that work is the liberator. After a large and passionate build-up of tension and excitement, towards the end a deep calm arrives in which, however, shimmers a hymn of affirmation and life.’

Reviews

December 2010

The symphony is attractively neat and satisfying, but Ripening is on a completely new emotional plane, with a Mahlerian juxtaposition of emotions, a scintillating emotional thrust and a virtuoso handling of the orchestra...What you hear on the CD is as much an astonishing testament to the abilities of modern day sound engineers as it is a fine performance.

21st November 2010

Jiri Belohlávek's tender reading of this 1917 symphonic poem is flooded with dewy woodwind and glowing strings.

2nd September 2010

Ripening, a symphonic poem, is a highly charged piece, full of poignant emotion and anguished outbursts. Its power is echoed by the First Symphony...in which Belohlávek inspires the BBCSO to a blazing performance.

Josef Suk: Orchestral Works

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