Janácek: Orchestral Works, Vol. 2 (2015)

performed by James Ehnes (violin), Melina Mandozzi (violin), Susanna Andersson (soprano), Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Edward Gardner (conductor)
composed by Leos Janácek

This second volume of Leos Janácek's orchestral works by the fine and sympathetic Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra under Edward Gardner is necessarily something of a mixed bag, with a couple of unfinished works, several pieces that more or less qualify as obscurities, and just one repertory work, the symphonic poem Taras Bulba, JW VI/15. That work from the World War I years is vintage Janácek, a programmatic evocation of scenes from Nikolai Gogol's epic novel that has the composer's trademark mixture of vividness and ... Read More

This second volume of Leos Janácek's orchestral works by the fine and sympathetic Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra under Edward Gardner is necessarily something of a mixed bag, with a couple of unfinished works, several pieces that more or less qualify as obscurities, and just one repertory work, the symphonic poem Taras Bulba, JW VI/15. That work from the World War I years is vintage Janácek, a programmatic evocation of scenes from Nikolai Gogol's epic novel that has the composer's trademark mixture of vividness and compression. But for the Janácek fan there isn't a dull moment here. The short Jealousy was a discarded prelude to the opera Jenufa and is closely linked to it in mood if not in motive. Several completions have been offered for Janácek's late single-movement, transparently textured Violin Concerto ("The Wandering of a Little Soul"), and each one militates in favor of more frequent performances for the work; violinist James Ehnes is superior here, with a sharp, tense sound that fits Janácek... Read Less