Search - Janacek, Serebrier, Czech State Po :: Sinfonietta / 6 Lachian Dances / Taras Bulba

Amazing

Russell Dicker | Seattle, WA | 06/06/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'm not a large fan of classical music. I think that aside from this CD and the ubiquitous Holst CD, The Planets I might own one other classical album. I had bought a reference recording by XLO to help set-up my new stereo. While working on this project I heard "The Queen's Monastery" from the recording of Sinfonietta on this album. Completely enthralled by this one track (and working on Amazon.com's new classical music website at the time) I decided to track down the album that this recording came from and buy it.The recording of Sinfonietta is superb. Not being a large follower of the symphony I'm probably not the best equipped to describe what I have heard. What I will say is that there are certain moments in this piece that have permanently anchored themselves in my mind. The opening horns starting at 11 seconds into "Fanfares" have always struck me as celebratory while remaining tragically somber. The shimmering violins at the beginning of "The Queen's Monastery" are what made me buy this album. The delicate melodies that are introduced by the violins but explored by the winds are breathtaking and will show off any texture and depth your system may have. Finally the closing fanfares in "The Town" mirror the opening of the piece rising hesitant then joyous finale.As much as I have listened to the Lachian Dances, I have never found much there to enjoy. As with the rest of the disc the recording is excellent. The detail and imaging are superb, but that is unfortunately all I can say about that piece because I can't honestly say I enjoy the music. If you are already a fan of the Lachian Dances, you can be assured that the recording and engineering of this piece will exceed any standards you might have. I hope that you find as much enjoyment in this recording as I have in the other two.Last, but not least comes "Taras Bulba, Rhapsody for Orchestra" This piece was a wonderful surprise. The first time I listened to it, I enjoyed it but didn't love it. I don't know at exactly what point I turned into a fan, but this piece is now my favorite of the three. A small amount of reading into the history and the story behind Taras Bulba has also helped me gain a new appreciation for this work. While each of the first two tracks "The Death of Andrei" and "The Death of Ostap" are wonderful in their own right, the pure emotion of "Prophesy and Death of Taras Bulba" are simply amazing. The lone horn mimicking Taras crying out to his troops is devistating. The organ and drums that represent the prophesies of Taras Bulba and the strength of the Russian peoples can only be described as a beutiful and fitting close to this amazing piece on this amazing disc."

EXTRAORDINARY PERFORMANCE!

Russell Dicker | 01/31/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Janacek performed at it's very best. The wonderful Czech State Philharmonic of Brno seems completely revitalized under the baton of Jose Serebrier. The sound obtained by the Reference Recordings team is absolutely incredible. While the use of their High Definition Digital (HDCD) chip helps, any good CD player is sufficient to hear this magnificent recording. One of the best recordings ever made!. M.F."