# Zdenek Fibich - a composer well worth discovering



## superhorn

Zdenek Fibich (zden-yek Fib-ikh as in chutzpah ) (1850- 1900 ) is a composer who is little known outside of his native Bohemia , but if you love the music of his countrymen Dvorak , Smetana and janacek you really must hear his music .
Fibich wrote three symphonies, a number of operas, numerous songs, miscelleaneous orchestral and paino works etc and his music has a definite Czech feel, although perhaps is in a slightly more international or Germanic style .
His mother was Viennese and he was bilingual in Czech and German .
I have Neeme jarvi's excellent Chandos recordings of his three symphonies with the Detroit symphony , and they are finely crafted and appealingly melodious . If more conductors would program them at concerts
instead of their umpteenth performance of Dvorak's New World symphony, wonderful as that evergreen symphony is, I'm convinced that audiences would wonder where these obscure symphonies have been all their lives 
I've also heard his opera Sarka (sharka) , which is based on the old Czech legend of Sarka the fierce amazon warrior woman who organized a literal war between the sexes and rebelled against male rule, with fatal results .
You know this story from Smetana's tone poem Sarka from Ma Vlast . 
When I got to know the Supraphon recording of the opera , which I got my local library to aquire some years ago , I was amazed at what a terrific opera it was . 
It has everything you could ever want in an opera; great melodies , dramatic sweep ,vivid characterization .
It could be a huge success at the Met, Covent Garden, Berlin, Munich or San francisco etc , and the title role might be right up Renee Fleming's alley .


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## mmsbls

I have Fibich's 3 symphonies, and I especially like the 2nd. I have the recording by Karel Sejna and the Czech Philharmonic. That recording has one of my favorite works by Fibich - At Twilight, a symphonic poem.

I also have a recording of two piano chamber works - a standard quartet and a quintet with violin, Cello, Clarinet, and Horn. The quintet is just lovely.


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## Art Rock

I have a dcent collection of Fibich CD's, agree, very worthwhile composer. I wrote this about him in my blog in 2010:

[recommended disc: Symphonies 1 and 2]

Many people will be hard pressed to name a Czech composer beyond Dvorak, Smetana, Janacek, and possibly Suk and Martinu. Enter Zdenek Fibich (1850-1900), a contemporary of Dvorak who is far less heard than the quality of his works warrants. Being of mixed Czech/German descent, the nationalism of his more famous colleagues never dominated his output, which perhaps contributed to his neglect. His three symphonies in the German late romantic idiom are amongst his best works, highly melodic and emotional. This Naxos disc collects the first two (dating from 1883 and 1893) in great performances by the Razumovsky Symphony Orchestra under Andrew Mogrelia. Well worth investigating.


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## clavichorder

I just heard these piano works. Very cool find, unique style.


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## Czech composer

Fibich is my man! I love his music. 
Here is his cool little Sonatina for piano. Unfortunately on youtube isn´t any proffesional recording, but I am glad that there is a lot of amateur videos of this work.

first movement. (artist computer)





second and third movement (artist little asian girl)


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## Czech composer

His most famous piece.


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## Joachim Raff

I am still getting to grips of my preferred recordings of his symphonies. Such a shame, not a lot to choose from. One recording I have is Karel Sejna (stereo) recording of the 3rd symphony which is superlative. No other comes anywhere near to this. Still looking for a recording of the 1st and 2nd i can get on with. Karel Sejna recordings of these were in Mono and have not remastered too well in the digital format.


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## Joachim Raff

I can wholly recommend the latest recording (NAXOS) of his 3rd Symphony. The fill ups are equally well performed and recorded.


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## JAS

I enjoy a bit of Fibich from time to time. It is music that really relies on a good performance, although surely no composer benefits from a poor performance.


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