Just been listening to the extract from Bělohlávek's recording of Suk's "Ripening" on today's programme: I thought it was superb, and I'll be buying that disc ASAP.
Whilst grateful to Stephen Johnson for featuring this recording, I found some of his preliminary comments grated. He said that the piece often sounded "over-ripe" and needed a conductor like Bělohlávek to highlight where it was going. Obviously, I thought the performance was excellent - but I've never had the feeling that anything by Suk sounded "over-ripe" or directionless: on the contrary, I find that he's one of the composers (like Martinu and Kodaly) of whom I just know I'm going to like whatever I hear (or at least that there's a very good chance of it.)
I do find it irksome when R3 commentators, when talking about neglected composers, seem to imply that there's a fundamental flaw in the composer's work, which goes at least some way to justify the neglect (maybe a self-defence mechanism?)
Whilst grateful to Stephen Johnson for featuring this recording, I found some of his preliminary comments grated. He said that the piece often sounded "over-ripe" and needed a conductor like Bělohlávek to highlight where it was going. Obviously, I thought the performance was excellent - but I've never had the feeling that anything by Suk sounded "over-ripe" or directionless: on the contrary, I find that he's one of the composers (like Martinu and Kodaly) of whom I just know I'm going to like whatever I hear (or at least that there's a very good chance of it.)
I do find it irksome when R3 commentators, when talking about neglected composers, seem to imply that there's a fundamental flaw in the composer's work, which goes at least some way to justify the neglect (maybe a self-defence mechanism?)
Comment