Janacek: Sinfonietta Op60; Taras Bulba, rhapsody

Leos Janacek (Composer), François Huybrechts (Conductor), Neville Marriner (Conductor), Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (Performer), London Sinfonietta (Performer), London Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (Orchestra), Paul Crossley (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Paul Crossley
• Orchestra: London Philharmonic Orchestra, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
• Conductor: François Huybrechts, Neville Marriner
• Composer: Leos Janacek
• Audio CD (October 14, 1997)
• SPARS Code: ADD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: London
• ASIN: B0000042DG
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,162 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #3 in Music > Classical > Forms & Genres > Symphonies > Sinfonia
  • #4 in Music > Classical > Ballets & Dances > Dances
  • #4 in Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Romantic (c.1820-1910) > General AAS

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

Charles Mackerras is the outstanding Janácek conductor of our era. He recorded the composer's largest orchestral work (indeed, with 16 trumpets, one of anyone's largest orchestral works), the Sinfonietta, some 40 years ago, but this newer digital production, featuring the incomparable Vienna Philharmonic and Mackerras's own research into the original text of the score, is about as powerful and imposing as music gets. The recording is truly spectacular: the deep tones of the organ and brazen clangor of deep bells in Taras Bulba have never been more impressively captured, while the charming Lachian Dances make an appealing filler for the first disc. On disc 2, a selection of the composer's quirkily charming chamber music rounds out an essential collection for anyone interested in this endlessly fascinating composer. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everyone should have this recording of the Sinfonietta!, March 30, 1999

By 

Gregory M. Zinkl (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Janacek: Sinfonietta Op60; Taras Bulba, rhapsody (Audio CD)

I am only commenting on the Sinfonietta. Mackerras is unexcelled in one of my ultimate pieces. The Vienna Phil would seem intuitively all wrong for this music, but Mackerras transforms the glowing tone of this great orchestra such that it totally serves the music. V, the mov't that makes or breaks a performance in my opinion, is overwhelming--as it should be. The wind soloists, notably the clarinetist and an amazing piccolo player, are exceptional. The strings, of course, have a wonderful tone, and a clarity that Janacek's music screams for (especially all the trills that they are call upon to do). The trumpets (a dozen), are well-behaved, and the timpani, again, incredibly important to this music, is well recorded--and played with lots of excitement. The final impact is not one of only excitement and a huge adrenalin rush, but of something deeper, a sense of gratification that Janacek wrote such a masterpiece, and that Mackerras recorded it for us. The other four movements are in this same vein of gratifying, white-hot intensity and beauty. Recommended at any price as one of the truly great recordings of the century!!!

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Janacek 101 and at a bargain price, July 31, 2002

By 

R. J. Claster "rjclaster" (Van Nuys, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Janacek: Sinfonietta Op60; Taras Bulba, rhapsody (Audio CD)

This album is probably the best single introduction to the music of this major and highly distinctive composer. The recordings of the Sinfonietta and Taras Bulba by Mackerras (one of the most prominent interpreters of Janacek's operas and orchestral works) are among the best available, with very wide ranging sound that vividly captures the sound of the organ and bells (in Taras Bulba), and the powerful brass playing from the Vienna Philharmonic. The Lachian Dances and the Suite for string orchestra are early works, which strongly reflect the influence of Dvorak, and the chamber works on the second disc express a more intimate, quirky side of his individuality.
A final word; if you are turned on by the Sinfonietta and/or Taras Bulba, you should check out the Slavonic Mass, a large scale work (one of his last and greatest) for chorus and full orchestra, based upon the ancient slavonic (meaning that it is sung in the old slavonic church vernacular instead of latin) version of the Roman Catholic mass. I can recommend the recordings of both Ancerl on Supraphon and Kubelik on the DG Originals series, as both are mid priced, in good sound, and both conductors, along with Mackerras, are among the premiere interpreters of Janacek.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars an excellent introduction to Janacek's music, January 8, 2001

By 

"koream" (Potomac, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Janacek: Sinfonietta Op60; Taras Bulba, rhapsody (Audio CD)

The first disk of this work is an excellent introduction to Janacek's music. Although it might seem odd that a British conductor leading the Vienna Phil would be the prime exponent of this body of work, Mackerras' recording of the Sinfonietta is probably the best on disk today, though Rattle's is also good. I have to admit a personal preference to the Kubelik DG recording, but, to my knowledge, it is only available on vinyl. The performance (and recording!) of Taras Bulba is excellent, as well.

My own preference would have been for a single disk recording. The Sinfonietta, Taras Bulba, and the Lachian Dances are probably sufficient, and the typical listener is not well-served by the additional disk (and additional cost!).