Leoš Janáček - Opera Suites Vol. 2 (Peter Breiner)

Information

Composer: Leoš Janáček

1. Káťa Kabanová (arr. Peter Breiner): I. Overture
2. Káťa Kabanová (arr. Peter Breiner): II. Tichon, it's about time
3. Káťa Kabanová (arr. Peter Breiner): III. There, you bragged
4. Káťa Kabanová (arr. Peter Breiner): IV. Intermezzo and songs
5. Káťa Kabanová (arr. Peter Breiner): V. The storm is coming
6. The Makropulos Affair (arr. Peter Breiner): I. Death was touching me
7. The Makropulos Affair (arr. Peter Breiner): II. The Gregor Prus case
8. The Makropulos Affair (arr. Peter Breiner): III. It appears strange, doesn't it?
9. The Makropulos Affair (arr. Peter Breiner): IV. I am actually an idiot
10. The Makropulos Affair (arr. Peter Breiner): V. Though I love you!
11. The Makropulos Affair (arr. Peter Breiner): VI. So?

Vesa-Matti Leppänen, violin (06-11)
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
Peter Breiner, conductor

Date: 2009
Label: Naxos
http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.570556

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Review

ARTISTIC QUALITY: 8 / SOUND QUALITY: 8

This second installment in Peter Breiner’s series of suites from Janácek operas is more successful than the first. It’s particularly exciting to hear the music from Kát’a Kabanova, the composer’s most voluptuous (and saddest) opera. Breiner basically follows the course of the action in his five-movement suite, and after a fairly stiff performance of the overture his conducting steadily improves, as (it seems) does the confidence of the orchestra. The long last movement, all from the third act, is very skillfully put together, and the storm music comprising the first few minutes packs the sonic and emotional wallop that it must. Fans of the opera will really enjoy this.

José Serebrier has already made a suite from The Makropulos Case at the behest of Universal Edition, and he recorded it pretty stunningly for Reference Recordings. Breiner’s six-movement arrangement is quite different. His decision to frame the piece with the opera’s final scene is both smart and effective, though he should have used more of Marty’s final monologue when he brings back the same music at the end. He also adapts more material from Act 2 than does Serebrier, and Breiner’s willingness to organize the music more freely results in a very satisfying half-hour, much more lyrical and tuneful than you might have thought possible. A very enjoyable disc, overall.

-- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday

More reviews:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2009/July09/Janacek_suites_8570556.htm
http://www.allmusic.com/album/jan%C3%A1cek-orchestral-suites-from-the-operas-vol-2-mw0001870796
https://www.naxos.com/reviews/reviewslist.asp?catalogueid=8.570556&languageid=EN
http://www.amazon.com/Orchestral-Suites-Operas-L-Janacek/dp/B001U1L9R6

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Leoš Janáček (3 July 1854 – 12 August 1928) was a Czech composer, musical theorist, folklorist, publicist and teacher. He was inspired by Moravian and other Slavic folk music to create an original, modern musical style. Much of Janáček's work displays great originality and individuality. Janáček belongs to a wave of twentieth-century composers who sought greater realism and greater connection with everyday life, combined with a more all-encompassing use of musical resources. Janáček is considered one of the most important Czech composers, along with Antonín Dvořák and Bedřich Smetana.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo%C5%A1_Jan%C3%A1%C4%8Dek

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Peter Breiner (born July 3, 1957 in Humenné) is a Slovak pianist, conductor, and composer. He studied at the Conservatory in Košice and the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava, graduated in 1982. Breiner has recorded over 150 albums as conductors and pianist, and is well known for his arrangements of popular music. His triple CD "Janacek Operatic Suites", released on Naxos label, was one of the Top Ten Classical CDs of 2009, according to the Chicago Tribune. Breiner also has a career as a television personality, with a talk show on Slovenská televízia, and is a passionate soccer player.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Breiner

http://peterbreiner.com/web/home.aspx

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