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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This CD is the first instalment in a series of three of suites from Janacek's operas, arranged by Peter Breiner.
I will start off by saying that I usually hate this sort of thing! The Janacek operas are wonderful, beautiful works that I doubt need any help from anyone. But there is a history of this - Vaclav Talich made a suite of The Cunning Little Vixen, in an attempt to publicise the work of one of the most individual composers of the 20th century - and the music is gorgeous enough to stand on its own even when the voices and words are so integral to it.
Breiner is an interesting character and appears to have a role as Naxos's in-house arranger. He has done other arrangements, and was also heavily involved in producing the national anthems used at the Beijing Olympics. His background is Slovakian, so his connection to Janacek is more than just a liking for his music.
Despite my usually slightly cynical attitude to such enterprises, I will admit to having been bowled over by these suites. Breiner makes his selections wisely, so the highlights are all there; moreover these are arrangements which are both respectful and faithful to Janacek and to his unique sound world.
The pair of operatic suites presented here are from Janacek's middle years, but they do highlight how much of the orchesttral sound associated with his later works was already there, in Mr. Broucek, but also in the (on the surface of it) folksy Jenufa. Breiner seems to make a point with his selections from Jenufa of saying "here was a modern opera" not just a provincial Bartered Bride! And in his arrangement of items from The Excursions of Mr. Broucek (Breiner tends to be more biased towards the Moon music rather than the Hussite music!) straight away it's the speech rhythms, as Broucek's name is announced by brass, that come to the fore.
So why buy this/these CDs? If you do not know Janacek's operas, they are a fabulous way of getting an insight into this composer's major works; if you don't like singing, the music without words speaks for itself most eloquently in such sympathetic arrangements; if you do know the operas these suites are wonderful supplements, performed here by an orchestra who are well up to the task, conducted by a man who obviously loves this music for itself.
The other releases are:
Janacek, L.: Operatic Orchestral Suites, Vol. 2 (Arr. P. Breiner) - Kat'A Kabanova / The Makropulos Affair
and
Janacek, L.: Operatic Orchestral Suites, Vol. 3 (Arr. P. Breiner) - The Cunning Little Vixen / From The House Of The Dead
I will start off by saying that I usually hate this sort of thing! The Janacek operas are wonderful, beautiful works that I doubt need any help from anyone. But there is a history of this - Vaclav Talich made a suite of The Cunning Little Vixen, in an attempt to publicise the work of one of the most individual composers of the 20th century - and the music is gorgeous enough to stand on its own even when the voices and words are so integral to it.
Breiner is an interesting character and appears to have a role as Naxos's in-house arranger. He has done other arrangements, and was also heavily involved in producing the national anthems used at the Beijing Olympics. His background is Slovakian, so his connection to Janacek is more than just a liking for his music.
Despite my usually slightly cynical attitude to such enterprises, I will admit to having been bowled over by these suites. Breiner makes his selections wisely, so the highlights are all there; moreover these are arrangements which are both respectful and faithful to Janacek and to his unique sound world.
The pair of operatic suites presented here are from Janacek's middle years, but they do highlight how much of the orchesttral sound associated with his later works was already there, in Mr. Broucek, but also in the (on the surface of it) folksy Jenufa. Breiner seems to make a point with his selections from Jenufa of saying "here was a modern opera" not just a provincial Bartered Bride! And in his arrangement of items from The Excursions of Mr. Broucek (Breiner tends to be more biased towards the Moon music rather than the Hussite music!) straight away it's the speech rhythms, as Broucek's name is announced by brass, that come to the fore.
So why buy this/these CDs? If you do not know Janacek's operas, they are a fabulous way of getting an insight into this composer's major works; if you don't like singing, the music without words speaks for itself most eloquently in such sympathetic arrangements; if you do know the operas these suites are wonderful supplements, performed here by an orchestra who are well up to the task, conducted by a man who obviously loves this music for itself.
The other releases are:
Janacek, L.: Operatic Orchestral Suites, Vol. 2 (Arr. P. Breiner) - Kat'A Kabanova / The Makropulos Affair
and
Janacek, L.: Operatic Orchestral Suites, Vol. 3 (Arr. P. Breiner) - The Cunning Little Vixen / From The House Of The Dead
3 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
First I didn't like this release. Some days later I gave it another try and it gave me more pleasure. I thought why? Reason was I take Charles Mackerras' readings of Jenufa as a benchmark all the time and that's probably not fair for this release. Mackerras' reading and the way he lets the Wiener Philharmoniker race through the music is out of this world. It's so well done; it can't be bettered. The tempo, the orchestral detail, everything is so under control and so beautiful done, every other recording pales. The way the dance scene (village scene) is done can be an example. It's just not exhilarating, not exciting enough. The backward placing of the vibraphone, which is so prominent in the Mackerras/Decca reading is a thing I missed too. So on first hearing: a little bland.
Second problem seems to be the lack of voices. Hello!, that's the essence of making orchestral suites out of opera's, mr. reviewer. But sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. In the Jenufa suite I really think it didn't work in the concluding aria where - as is standard - woodwind and brass-instrument replace the voice. In this case the melody is repeated 4x over in the same manner and that's something you don't mention in the opera itself.
So I didn't listen to the Mr. Broucek opera and just listened to the (long) suite. I liked it. The orchestral detail is fine, the way the arrangement is done is nice. The NZ-orchestra is middle-class like most orchestras nowadays. It'll never replace an opera but those aren't the intentions of mr. Breiner I think, he's (just) a fine arranger. I do look forward to the other 2 recordings of suites Naxos has announced.
Second problem seems to be the lack of voices. Hello!, that's the essence of making orchestral suites out of opera's, mr. reviewer. But sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. In the Jenufa suite I really think it didn't work in the concluding aria where - as is standard - woodwind and brass-instrument replace the voice. In this case the melody is repeated 4x over in the same manner and that's something you don't mention in the opera itself.
So I didn't listen to the Mr. Broucek opera and just listened to the (long) suite. I liked it. The orchestral detail is fine, the way the arrangement is done is nice. The NZ-orchestra is middle-class like most orchestras nowadays. It'll never replace an opera but those aren't the intentions of mr. Breiner I think, he's (just) a fine arranger. I do look forward to the other 2 recordings of suites Naxos has announced.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
2 reviews
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Janacek Orchestral Suites from Operas - Vol. 1
16 April 2009
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
As usual, Naxos has done a wonderful job of providing a quality product for a very reasonable price. The quality of the recording and the performance by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra are excellent.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
beautiful music
27 Aug 2009
Format:Audio CD
This is a wonderful CD full of beautiful music. Well performed and recorded. I have been very much enjoying both volumes 1 and 2 in this series, and am now awaiting volume 3 to arrive in the mail.
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