Reference Recordings: Janáček's Sinfonietta and Taras Bulba

[@b286guy]

I adore these pieces! 🥰

[@Warp75]

A couple of my absolute favourites

[@WesSmith-m6i]

Dear Dave, I had never before heard Taras Bulba and I was lucky enough to find Kubelik's persformance on KZbin. What a fabulous, wonderful, delightful piece of music. Thank you so much.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Thanks for listening

[@stephenc6648]

The fourth movement of the Sinfonietta became hugely popular in the UK in the 70s because it was used as the opening theme of Crown Court, a long-running daytime drama.

[@jgesselberty]

My first encounter with the Sinfonietta, many years ago, just blew me away.

[@petterw5318]

The first seconds of Taras Bulba are magical, with that effect that you start hearing the melody mid-sentence.

[@mikedavid5843]

Phew! For a moment thete u didn't think Ancerl and the CPO would get a mention! Their Glagolitic Mass is wonderful too ......

[@LyleFrancisDelp]

The Mackerras Vienna recording was definitely known to me. In fact, it was the first Sinfonietta I ever bought.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

It came much, much later.

[@trialman121950]

I remember purchasing a Parliament lp of the Ancerl performances back in 1969 or 70. I played the heck out of that record.

[@bombayteddy]

Perhaps it's time for a "New Reference Recording": the VPO and Sir Charles Mackerras. Superb performance, stunning sound.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

No, it was never a reference.

[@davekeyes5589]

Thankfully, EJ Korvette’s reliably carried Supraphon and Hungaraton LPs back in the day. It was this Ancerl record that introduced me to Janacek.

[@brianthomas2434]

I think I became familiar with Janacek's Sinfonietta after I realized Emerson, Lake and Palmer had used a melody from it in their song "Knife Edge."

[@fulltongrace7899]

Yes on their first LP. That was my introduction to Janacek and Bartok on the track from same LP called the Barbarian.

[@barryguerrero6480]

Over MacKerras? . . . Interesting. I love all of them.

[@JamesDavidWalley]

Agreed. From my recollection of the record-review magazines, Kubelik was the universal choice from 1970 but, once LPs gave way to CDs in the mid-'80s, Mackerras/VPO quickly superseded it as the standard. Of course, at that point, Ančerl had not yet been widely available in the west on CD.

[@johnwright7557]

My first Janacek Sinfonetta/Taras Bulba was Ancerl’s on a Turnabout LP, but when the Kubelik came out I bought it. It sounded so much better that I gave the Turnabout away. Now of course Ancerl’s sounds much better as part of Supraphon’s Gold series and Kubelik still sounds as good as ever!

[@isqueirus]

Always thought the reference was Vaclav Neumann with the Czech Philarmonic, for the simple fact that back in the day, it was the only version you could find in CD stores, at least in Southern Europe.

[@richfarmer3478]

That's the one I have and I love it.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Only for a brief period, but I'm talking about before CDs as well.

[@libor4128]

Yes, also for me the Neumann Czech Phil recordings are the reference. Before them, Ancerl was my go-to option. Mind you, this is the perspective of a musically uneducated Czech who discovered Janacek as a teenager in late 1970s, during which time the Kubelik DG recordings were unavailable in what is now Czechia. As much as I respect Mackerras in Janacek, his Vienna Sinfonietta and Taras don’t do it for me (but I adore the operas with VPO, esp. Kata). I was lucky enough to hear Mackerras do some Janacek in Prague later on, and he was fantastic beyond words. Orchestras loved him because he was a conductor genius who talked to them in Czech, with charming British pronunciation.

[@isqueirus]

@@DavesClassicalGuide Thank you for the clarification

[@jankucera8180]

@@libor4128 I almost second you in this respect. Not only Kubelik's recordings were unavailable but he was, sort of, wiped from the public space like he never existed... However, a new LP by Czech Phil and Košler just appeared (recorded in fact for Nippon Columbia) and it was my own 2nd only LP (the first being the equally "brand new" Janáček's String Quartets played by Smetana Quartet... also recorded in for Nippon Columbia, btw).

[@Steinweg100]

I have Klemperer playing The Symphonietta. Unless I mis-heard you, It does exist?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Live, in lousy sound.

[@robhaynes4410]

Ozawa did a very good Sinfonietta with Chicago around the same time as this Kubelik recording. I'm not suggesting that it should be a reference, especially since it was coupled with Lutoslawski's Concerto for Orchestra. Kubelik is obviously the reference here. Much as I do love this recording, I kinda wish this would've been one of the recordings Kubelik did in Boston.

[@hawthornetimms6252]

The Ozawa recording of Sinfonietta was the one I listened to over and over again at university in the music library! Gorgeous brass all the way through.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Yes, the Ozawa was one of the best.

[@FREDGARRISON]

Glad you agree with the Ozawa recording. It was the first one I heard in my (ahem) youth and my most cherished in my cd collection. I have the MacKerras recording also. I also had Taras Bulba on a London/Decca recording featuring The London Symphony Orchestra with Francois Huybrechts conducting. The filler was Janacek's delightful LACHIAN DANCES. If no one knows these dances, they should look them up on KZbin and enjoy. THANKS DAVE !!!!