Leoš Janáček - Opera Suites Vol. 3 (Peter Breiner)

Information

Composer: Leoš Janáček

1. The Cunning Little Vixen (arr. P. Breiner): I. The Blue Dragonfly
2. The Cunning Little Vixen (arr. P. Breiner): II. At the Gamekeeper's Yard
3. The Cunning Little Vixen (arr. P. Breiner): III. Am I really that beautiful?
4. The Cunning Little Vixen (arr. P. Breiner): IV. The Wedding
5. The Cunning Little Vixen (arr. P. Breiner): V. Wanderer's song
6. The Cunning Little Vixen (arr. P. Breiner): VI. Vixen is running
7. From the House of the Dead (arr. P. Breiner): I. Overture
8. From the House of the Dead (arr. P. Breiner): II. One hundred
9. From the House of the Dead (arr. P. Breiner): III. Holiday is coming
10. From the House of the Dead (arr. P. Breiner): IV. Dear, dear Alyeya
11. From the House of the Dead (arr. P. Breiner): V. The play and the Pantomime
12. From the House of the Dead (arr. P. Breiner): VI. Jesus, God's prophet

Vesa-Matti Leppänen, violin (1, 7)
Bridget Douglas, flute (1)
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
Peter Breiner, conductor

Date: 2009
Label: Naxos
http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.570706

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Review

ARTISTIC QUALITY: 9 / SOUND QUALITY: 9

Peter Breiner’s arrangements of music from these two operas succeed on a number of levels. First, the two works offer a great deal of symphonic music to work with (the ballets in Vixen, and the overture and pantomime in House). Second, he has arranged the excerpts very intelligently for continuous listening. In the Vixen Suite it’s great to hear the scene in Act 3 with the baby foxes, and it makes an excellent lead-in to the final bars. Similarly, the preludes to the second and third acts of House are nicely integrated into lengthier tracts of music.

Yes, I have a couple of quibbles. The added percussion is completely unnecessary: why all the triangle in the Vixen suite? Obviously there’s nothing wrong with substituting instruments for vocal lines, or filling out the texture of bare accompaniments, but Breiner gets a bit carried away in spots (though certainly not worse than Janácek’s early arrangers, Vaclav Talich included).

As a conductor, Breiner is almost totally successful. Occasionally his tempos drag a bit, as in the “Eagle, King of the Forests” music in House, or in the closing scene of the Vixen’s first act–it ought to be mayhem personified, but here it’s simply too careful. Elsewhere, everything goes very well, with the New Zealand Symphony making a more positive impression here than in earlier releases in this series. Perhaps it’s at least partly due to the generally more colorful orchestration, which the engineering projects to vivid effect. Strongly recommended. [9/10/2009]

-- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday

More reviews:
https://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/janacek-opera-suites-vol-3
https://www.naxos.com/reviews/reviewslist.asp?catalogueid=8.570706&languageid=EN
https://www.amazon.com/Janacek-Operatic-Orchestral-Suites-Vol/dp/B002ED6VEK

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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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