大象传媒

Donald Macleod explores Jan谩膷ek鈥檚 friendship with Dvo艡谩k, with music from Jan谩膷ek鈥檚 first opera 艩谩rka and Sinfonietta.

One of the most original voices of the twentieth century, Leo拧 Jan谩膷ek was a composer, musical theorist, folklorist and teacher. Born in 1854 in the Moravian village of Hukvaldy, which was then part of the Austrian Empire, in his youth German was the language of government, education and social influence. Having returned from studies in Germany, Jan谩膷ek made detailed studies of native folk song and spent years annotating the natural rhythms of the Czech language. He was to write all his works for stage in his native language. The range of his professional activities gave him a range of outlets to voice what quickly became a life-long commitment to Czech culture.

Jan谩膷ek was a contradictory man, who spent much of his life feeling at odds with his circumstances. Through five of his closest relationships, Donald Macleod builds a picture of how his inner tensions found expression in his music. The longest and most fractured of his associations was with his German speaking wife Zdenka. After a shaky start, he grew very close to his daughter Olga, with whom he shared his love of Russian literature. His friendship with the literary collaborator Max Brod proved to be the turning point in his quest for professional standing, while his muse Kamila St枚sslova became the joy and agony of his later, creatively enriched years. As a young man Jan谩膷ek turned to Anton铆n Dvo艡谩k. They shared an interest in folk music, and the older composer proved to be a loyal friend and mentor.

It was when Jan谩膷ek was in his twenties, studying in Prague around 1874, that he is thought to have first met Dvo艡谩k. Their association was to last until the older composer鈥檚 death in 1904.

Suite for Strings, Andante con moto (3rd mvt)
Janacek Chamber Orchestra

Four male-voice choruses
犬 l谩sko (O, love) JW IV/17
Ach, vojna! (Oh to be a soldier) JWIV/17
Moravian Teachers鈥� Choir
Lubomir Mati, director

Lachian Dances
No 1: Starodavny (Old-Time Dance)
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra
Ondrej Len谩rd, conductor

艩谩rka (excerpt from Act 1)
Peter Straka, tenor, Ctirad
Eva Urbanov谩, soprano, 艩谩rka
Prague Philharmonic Chorus
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
Charles Mackerras, conductor

Sinfonietta
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
Karel An膷erl, conductor