# SS 13.12.14 - Janacek "Sinfonietta"



## realdealblues

A continuation of the Saturday Symphonies Tradition:

Welcome to another weekend of symphonic listening!

For your listening pleasure this weekend:*

Leoš Janáček (1838 - 1875)*

Sinfonietta

1. Allegretto - Allegro maestoso (Fanfare)
2. Andante - Allegretto (The Castle, Brno)
3. Moderato (The Queen's Monastery, Brno)
4. Allegretto (The Street Leading to the Castle)
5. Andante con moto (The Town Hall, Brno)

---------------------

Post what recording you are going to listen to giving details of Orchestra / Conductor / Chorus / Soloists etc - Enjoy!


----------



## realdealblues

Another unfamiliar work for me. This will be my first time listening to this piece. Janacek is one of those composers that I just haven't explored. I bought this recording a while back especially for this weekend and have been saving it until now. I'm excited to finally give it a listen.

View attachment 58392


Karel Ančerl/Czech Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## D Smith

Mackerras/Vienna here.


----------



## ptr

A big favourite of mine, not longer then I'll put two in the running:










Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra u. Rafael Kubelik










Czech Philharmonic Orchestra u. Sir Charles Mackerras

/ptr


----------



## JACE

I'll listen to these two versions:

LP:








*Kubelik / Bavarian Radio SO*

CD:








*Rozhdestvensky / USSR Radio SO*


----------



## starthrower

I don't own a copy, but I have another Ancerl recording of the Janacek Mass and Taras Bulba. Will try his Sinfonietta.


----------



## Jeff W

Don't have a recording of this one... Off to Youtube for me!

Sir Charles Mackerras with the Vienna Philharmonic for me via Youtube.


----------



## elgar's ghost

I have the same Mackerras recording as D Smith which forms part of a great 2-disc set. I love Janacek's late-period output and this work is central to it.


----------



## GioCar

I'll go for Claudio Abbado / Berlin PO










coupled with a rare version of the song cycle "The Diary of One Who Disappeared", orchestrated by Otakar Zitek from the original for piano.


----------



## GreenMamba

Libor Pesek and The Philharmonia. One of my long time favorite CDs, and one of my favorite works.


----------



## Badinerie

Its always this one out of the many recordings I have. Just love it.
Great to see some Makerras love here!


----------



## techniquest

I have an elderly vinyl recording with Seiji Ozawa conducting the Chicago SO; I also have the recent issue on Naxos with Antoni Wit conducting the Warsaw PO. It's one of my favourite pieces, so I might well listen to some Youtube or Spotify too


----------



## Marschallin Blair

techniquest said:


> I have an elderly vinyl recording with Seiji Ozawa conducting the Chicago SO; I also have the recent issue on Naxos with Antoni Wit conducting the Warsaw PO. It's one of my favourite pieces, so I might well listen to some Youtube or Spotify too
> 
> View attachment 58423
> 
> View attachment 58422


I'd like to hear the Ozawa/Chicago_ Sinfonietta_. If it has any of the vitality he brings to his 60's/CSO _Rite of Spring_, then it might be promising. _;D_

Great cover on the Taras Bulba too.


----------



## Cosmos

The recoding I have is of Ondrej Lenard with the Slovak Radio Orchestra, Naxos label [of which I cannot find a good sized photo of the album cover]

I'm a bit mixed on this work. It has it's moment's, but so far it hasn't stuck with me like some of Janacek's other works


----------



## Marschallin Blair

_Scythian Suite_: "The Enemy God and the Dance of the Evil Spirits"










Symphony No. 3










Symphonies No. 1 and 5










Entire disc


----------



## Skilmarilion

Marschallin Blair said:


> ....
> 
> _Scythian Suite_: "The Enemy God and the Dance of the Evil Spirits"
> 
> ....


lol, Marschallin?


----------



## Skilmarilion

This is a first time listen for me.

Mark Elder with the Hallé Orchestra, via youtube, it shall be. :tiphat:


----------



## Mika

Mackerras & Wiener Philharmoniker


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Skilmarilion said:


> lol, Marschallin?


I work in a business environment.

I need to get chuffed.

_;D_


----------



## brotagonist

I don't believe that I've ever heard any Janáček, except likely in passing on the radio. I'll listen to this one (maybe another one, too):

Mackerras/Wien


----------



## Marschallin Blair

brotagonist said:


> I don't believe that I've ever heard any Janáček, except likely in passing on the radio. I'll listen to this one (maybe another one, too):
> 
> Mackerras/Wien


The Mackerras/Vienna_ Sinfonietta _and_ Taras Bulba _were the first Janacek I ever heard-- and I instantly loved them.

Then I heard his operas-- especially_ The Cunning Little Vixen _and _The Makropoulos Affair _(both with Mackerras of course, of course); and then the _Glagolitic Mass_ (yes, 'Mackerras' and only Mackerras)--- all absolutely first rate.

I love Janacek.




























The choral ending of the "Veruju" is tremendous. Mackerras' _Glagolitic Mass _also has the great "Intrada" at the beginning, which other performances don't have.


----------



## csacks

I have listened to both Janacek´s string quartets, and Hary Janos suite, but never had the chance to listen to this Sinfonietta. 
It will be provided by Youtube and all his new advertisements, which I (and I assume everybody else) hate. Who thought that forcing people to listen to publicity would be a good idea!!!


----------



## techniquest

> The recoding I have is of Ondrej Lenard with the Slovak Radio Orchestra, Naxos label [of which I cannot find a good sized photo of the album cover]
> 
> I'm a bit mixed on this work. It has it's moment's, but so far it hasn't stuck with me like some of Janacek's other works


I don't wish to appear rude, but I think the problem may be the recording you have. I listened to this one on Spotify earlier and it is really dreadful. The overall sound is wooly and there are a couple of big errors by the timpanist in the opening fanfare section. The other movements are inconsistent - there is some nice string playing at the start of the 3rd movement and it's nice to be able to actually hear the harp, but overall it is a recording that's never going to inspire.


----------



## Cosmos

techniquest said:


> I don't wish to appear rude, but I think the problem may be the recording you have. I listened to this one on Spotify earlier and it is really dreadful. The overall sound is wooly and there are a couple of big errors by the timpanist in the opening fanfare section. The other movements are inconsistent - there is some nice string playing at the start of the 3rd movement and it's nice to be able to actually hear the harp, but overall it is a recording that's never going to inspire.


Huh, I'll keep that in mind. Instead I might just listen to a performance on youtube


----------



## Haydn man

I found this one on Spotify liked the cover so will try this


----------



## Vaneyes

*Janacek*: Sinfonietta, w. SWRSO/Neumann (rec.1990).


----------



## Chronochromie

csacks said:


> I have listened to both Janacek´s string quartets, and Hary Janos suite, but never had the chance to listen to this Sinfonietta.
> It will be provided by Youtube and all his new advertisements, which I (and I assume everybody else) hate. Who thought that forcing people to listen to publicity would be a good idea!!!


Download Adblock.


----------



## BartokPizz

Another one who'll be listening to Mackerras.


----------



## Dave Whitmore

Another composer I haven't listened to yet. This one will have to be a Sunday listen as I'm off to a concert tomorrow night and won't be home til late. In fact we have a full day out so I won't have an opportunity for any classical listening until the concert. And tonighr I'm on a Dvorak kick. But I'm looking forward to hearing yet another composer I haven't heard anything from.


----------



## senza sordino

This was probably the first CD I bought in the late 80s. I didn't own a CD player, but my parents did. I was a starving student not living with my parents and substitute teacher until the mid 90s. I bought my first stereo and CD player at a Boxing Day Sale 1994. I still have that stereo. The CD sat at my parents place for over five years until I could get it back and play it myself.

I bought it after watching on TV an orchestra with 12 trumpets play the Janacek Sinfonietta. I thought that was so cool, I went out and bought the CD and played it once at my parents, and there it sat for some time.

View attachment 58543


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

after listening to the first movement of a few recordings on Spotify, I settled on this:


----------



## techniquest

I had the chance (eventually) to listen to the new-release Naxos Sinfonietta (Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra / Antoni Wit) which acts as the filler for the Glagolitic Mass. First it must be said that this is a million miles ahead of the old Naxos release both in terms of performance and recording, but it strikes me that this is a piece which is very difficult to get absolutely right and there are several instances in this recording where the orchestra sounds low-weight and simply going through the motions such as the start of the second movement. I felt much the same about the Rattle / Philharmonia recording which starts well, but loses momentum as the work progresses. (Oh, the Rattle recording also has some odd noises in it - is Sir S making grunting sounds as he gurns? On the other hand, that may have just been Spotify).
The third movement is my favourite of the whole work and I was disappointed that Naxos seems to have omitted any microphone for the harp. The faster central section has some really good flute/piccolo flourishes and the brass v string balance is good - plus you get a rather dampened bell. In the quiet ending to this movement, the mic for the harp seems to be working now, or maybe the harpist was late in!
I don't particularly like the 4th movement and often skip it when I'm listening to the work, but here it is probably the best played movement of the lot - there is some really nice brass playing and I like the way Wit exaggerates the slowing down in the closing part of the movement until the dash to the end.
The final movement carries on the more positive feel to this recording started by the excellent previous movement and little touches in the score that often get overlooked in recordings are easy to hear here and show just how important they are; the lower descending notes in the clarinet after the screeching loud burst it has for example, and the flourishes in the lower woods just before the return of the fanfares. I'd prefer the timps to be a little further forward (they sound rather woolly) and unfortunately the whole thing loses impetus just before the very last chord, but overall not a bad recording, certainly better than some I've heard, but a long way from the very best.


----------



## GreenMamba

Contrary to my earlier post, I actually listened to Mackerras, but still prefer my Pesek. I don't know if this is just an instance of liking the one I'm used to.


----------



## PeterPowerPop

Jeff W said:


> Don't have a recording of this one... Off to Youtube for me!
> 
> Sir Charles Mackerras with the Vienna Philharmonic for me via Youtube.


----------

