Smetana: Polkas

Smetana (Artist), Schiff (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 21, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Elektra / Wea
• ASIN: B00001SICQ
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #121,381 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Three Salon Polkas Op. 7: No. 1: Allegro comodo In F Sharp Major

2. Three Salon Polkas Op. 7: No. 2: Moderato molto In F Minor

3. Three Salon Polkas Op. 7: No. 3: Allegretto ma non troppo In A Flat Major

4. Three Poetic Polkas Op. 8: No. 1: Vivo In E Flat Major

5. Three Poetic Polkas Op. 8: No. 2: Meno allegro In G Minor

6. Three Poetic Polkas Op. 8: No. 3: Allegro In A Flat Major

7. Polka In F Minor

8. Polka In A Major

9. Memories Of Bohemia In The Form Of Polkas Op. 12: No. 1: Molto moderato In A Minor

10. Memories Of Bohemia In The Form Of Polkas Op. 12: No. 2: Moderato In E Minor

11. Polka In E Major

12. Polka In G Minor

13. Memories Of Bohemia In The Form Of Polkas Op. 13: No. 1: Moderato In E Minor

14. Memories Of Bohemia In The Form Of Polkas Op. 13: No. 2: Allegro, tempo rubato In E Flat Major

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Schiff playing Smetana's Polkas is my new favorite CD!, November 1, 1999

By 

J. Culbertson (Philadelpha, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Smetana: Polkas (Audio CD)

Don't be put off by "polkas." Smetana does for the polka what Chopin did for the mazurka. Besides, Smetana writes Bohemian polkas which is definitely not the kind of music the Polka King plays. Schiff's playing is, as usual, both translucent and luminous.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice Ethnic Art..., July 22, 2007

By 

Sébastien Melmoth (Hôtel d'Alsace, PARIS) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Smetana: Polkas (Audio CD)

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The brilliant Hungarian pianist András Schiff does a fine job with this nice ethnic art. As someone has mentioned, these Polkas are similar in ethos to Chopin's Mazurkas: taken from its central-eastern European folk-roots origin, and made into an higher art-form.

Other complaints concerning Schiff's readings here as compaired with Walter Klien ( Smetana: Polkas ) are questionable. I have both readings; both readings are fine. It's simply a question of individual artistic vision: embrace it.

Nice Brueghel-ish cover art, too!

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4 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Average, May 4, 2005

By 

R. Pohl (Brno, Czech Republic) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Smetana: Polkas (Audio CD)

Not bad... Interesting phrasing and free rhytm - perhaps too much. But the best Smetana's player of today is Antonin Kubalek. Try his Czech Dances and Memories of Bohemia and you'll see.