Czech Philharmonic, Prague Symphony Orchestra, Prague Philharmonia, Brno Philharmonic Orchestra / conductor Ji?i B?lohlavek

This collection from the legacy of Ji?i B?lohlavek (1946-2017) was put together during the year after the demise of this outstanding conductor. It is intended mainly as a recollection of this extraordinary musician and person. His life can be briefly described by enumerating the greatest of his achievements (Chief Conductor of the Czech Philharmonic, BBC Symphony Orchestra, guest conductor with the Berliner Philharmoniker, New York Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw, appearances at the MET, Glyndebourne, etc.; holder of the Commander of the Order of the British Empire /CBE/ title). The Maestro himself may have preferred asharing of memories to recordings; yet the set of twenty-three pieces taken from the almost three hundred pieces from Supraphon archives and recorded in the years 1971 - 2016 is a wonderful illustration of B?lohlavek`s professional maturing. They capture him as a conductor of several leading Czech orchestras, beginning with the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra (the energetic performance of Jana?ek of 1977 appearing at a CD for the first time) and concluding by the Czech Philharmonic and Prague Philharmonia. In the very centre of B?lohlavek`s repertoire we find compositions by Dvo?ak (From the New World), Smetana (My Country), Suk, Jana?ek and, notably, Martin?, whom he introduced to the world. The collection is enriched by several side-steps into other areas of repertoire including Mozart, Ravel, Mahler and Bartok, which documents the amazing scope of the conductor`s focus. Please accept our invitation to an encounter with Ji?i B?lohlavek who loved music above anything else and served it with the loyalty of a knight till the very end.

CD 1
Bed?ich Smetana
My Country. Cycle of Symphonic Poems
1.Vy?ehrad. Lento - Largo maestoso - Grandioso - Allegro vivo ma non agitato - Lento ma non troppo - Largamente 15:09
2.Vltava. Allegro comodo, non agitato 12:07
3.?arka. Allegro con fuoco, ma non agitato - Piu moderato assai - Moderato ma con calore - Adagio. Moderato - Molto vivo 10:10
4.From Bohemian Fields and Groves. Molto moderato - Allegro poco vivo, ma non troppo - Presto 12:34
5.Tabor. Lento - Molto vivace - Lento maestoso 12:54
6.Blanik. Allegro moderato - Andante non troppo - Piu allegro, ma non molto - Tempo di marcia - Largamente maestoso - Piu vivo 14:03

CD 2
Antonin Dvo?ak
Symphony No. 9 in E minor "From The New World", Op. 95 (B 178)
1.Adagio. Allegro molto 09:40
2.Largo 12:11
3.Scherzo. Molto vivace 08:12
4.Allegro con fuoco 11:48
Antonin Dvo?ak
Serenade for String Orchestra in E major, Op. 22
5.Moderato 04:47
6.Tempo di Valse 07:11
7.Scherzo. Vivace 05:40
8.Larghetto 05:58
9.Finale. Allegro vivace 06:13

CD 3
Josef Suk
1.Fantastic Scherzo for Orchestra, Op. 25 15:43
Josef Suk
A Fairy - tale. Suita from the Music to Julius Zeyer`s dramatic Tale Raduz and Mahulena, Op. 16
2.About the Faithful Love of Raduz and Mahulena and their Sorrows (Adagio, ma non troppo) 10:42
3.The Game of the Swans and the Peacocks (A la polka) 03:58
4.Funeral Music (Andante sostenuto) 07:16
5.Runa`s Curse and How It was Broken by Love (Allegro appassionato) 08:48
Josef Suk
Serenade for String Orchestra in E flat major, Op. 6
6.Andante con moto 05:58
7.Allegro ma non troppo e grazioso 05:54
8.Adagio 09:41
9.Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo presto 07:48


CD 4
Zden?k Fibich
Symphony No. 3 in E minor, Op. 53
1.Allegro inquieto 10:50
2.Allegro con fuoco. Adagio 07:17
3.Scherzo. Vivo e grazioso. Andante con mot o 07:33
4.Allegro maestoso. Allegro vivace 11:22
Leo? Jana?ek
Sinfonietta
5.Allegretto 02:11
6.Andante 05:47
7.Moderato 05:05
8.Allegretto 02:47
9.Andante con moto. Allegretto 06:55
Leo? Jana?ek
Taras Bulba. Rhapsody for Orchestra
10.The Death of Andrei 08:19
11.The Death of Ostap 05:20
12.The Prophecy and Death of Taras Bulba 08:39

CD 5
Bohuslav Martin?
1.Overture for Orchestra, H. 345 06:35
Bohuslav Martin?
2.Rhapsody for large orchestra (Allegro symphonique), H. 171 11:52
Bohuslav Martin?
The Parables for Large Orchestra, H. 367
3.The Parable of a Sculpture (Andante pastorale) 06:04
4.The Parable of a Garden (Poco moderato. Allegro molto) 06:55
5.The Parable of a Navire (Poco Allegro) 08:24
Bohuslav Martin?
Estampes, H. 369
6.Andante 05:39
7.Adagio. Allegro moderato - Tempo .. . 06:57
8.Poco Allegro 05:35
Maurice Ravel
Ma mere l`Oye. Cinq Pieces enfantines (Ma mere l`Oye. Cinq Pieces enfantines)
9.Pavane de la Belle au bois dormant 01:59
10.Petit Poucet 04:02
11.Laideronette, imperatrice des Pagodes 03:40
12.Les entretiens de la Belle et de la Bete 04:30
13.Le Jardin feerique 03:55
Maurice Ravel
14.Pavane for the Late Infanta (Pavane pour une infante defunte) 06:55

CD 6
Bohuslav Martin?
Tre ricercari, H. 267
1.Allegro poco 04:28
2.Largo 06:15
3.Allegro 04:30
Bela Bartok
Divertimento for Strings Orchestra
4.Allegro non troppo 08:51
5.Molto adagio 10:11
6.Allegro assai 07:29
Bela Bartok
Concerto for Orchestra, Sz 116
7.Introduzione. Andante non troppo 10:14
8.Giuoco delle copie. Allegretto scherzando 07:11
9.Elegia. Andante, non troppo 07:14
10.Intermezzo interrotto. Allegretto 04:14
11.Finale. Pesante. Presto 10:29

CD 7
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Symphony No. 38 in D major Prague, K. 504
1.Adagio. Allegro 12:40
2.Andante 12:31
3.Finale. Presto 07:33
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy
Symphony No. 4 in A major Italian, Op. 90
4.Allegro vivace 10:52
5.Andante con moto 06:05
6.Con moto moderato 06:38
7.Saltarello (Presto) 05:19

CD 8
Arnold Schonberg
1.Verklarte Nacht, Op. 4 28:21
Pavel Haas
2.Study for String Orchestra (Terezin 1943) 08:18
Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor
3.Adagietto. Sehr langsam 09:48
Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 2 in C minor Resurrection
4.Urlicht. Sehr feierlich, aber schlicht 05:18