There's been quite a lot of discussion about Břetislav Bakala's Janáček recordings (most recently about the Sinfonietta), but CRQ Editions is just about to release something of exceptional interest to anyone wanting to hear Bakala conducting Janáček's operas. In an interview for the Czech Music (Dvořák Society) in 1980, Charles Mackerras described Bakala's radio recordings of the operas as "a great milestone, a real treasure. … It would be wonderful and very valuable for the propagation and teaching of Janáček’s works if this outstanding archive could be gradually published as a historical document on records."
The "real treasure" to which Mackerras referred was a series of broadcast performances of the opera made during the late 1940s and 1950s conducted by Bakala for Brno Radio. A couple of these have been released before: Šárka on Multisonic and The Cunning Little Vixen on Panton LPs. But CRQ has now got a set (mp3s on a single DVD-Rom) including: Jenůfa, Osud (two different performances), Kát'a Kabanová, The Cunning Little Vixen and The Makropulos Affair. These make up an extraordinarily interesting group of performances conducted by the man who - at the start of his career - made the piano-vocal scores of Kát'a and Vixen, rehearsed the singers for the premiere of Kát'a and so on. The Supraphon LP of From the House of the Dead extracts (which Bakala helped to arrange for the posthumous premiere, which he conducted) is also included. There's a fascinating performance with Bakala at the piano in a radio recording of the Diary of One who Disappeared, a work he "discovered" in Janáček's wooden chest of manuscripts, and - more importantly - a work he had rehearsed in the composer's presence before giving the world premiere. There are a number of other Bakala recordings as fillers, the most unusual of which is the rare Ultraphon 78 rpm set of Taras Bulba recorded in 1949.
This is a specialist release, but for anyone interested, it's an amazing archive. I have to declare an interest: I wrote the booklet notes for the set. As a result, I've come to know these performances extremely well and a couple of things stand out. First, the sound is remarkably good for its age. Second, and more importantly, the performances are incredibly idiomatic - with soloists many of whom studied the roles with the singers who had created them a generation earlier. By the way, the booklet is quite extensive (40pp., A5) and I hope it will prove informative.
Details of the set can be found here: http://crqeditions.co.uk/ (scroll down to "Special Offers"). These performances - of which my own favourite is the 1953 broadcast of Kát'a Kabanová - are just the "treasure" that Sir Charles said they were. Absolutely wonderful stuff.
The "real treasure" to which Mackerras referred was a series of broadcast performances of the opera made during the late 1940s and 1950s conducted by Bakala for Brno Radio. A couple of these have been released before: Šárka on Multisonic and The Cunning Little Vixen on Panton LPs. But CRQ has now got a set (mp3s on a single DVD-Rom) including: Jenůfa, Osud (two different performances), Kát'a Kabanová, The Cunning Little Vixen and The Makropulos Affair. These make up an extraordinarily interesting group of performances conducted by the man who - at the start of his career - made the piano-vocal scores of Kát'a and Vixen, rehearsed the singers for the premiere of Kát'a and so on. The Supraphon LP of From the House of the Dead extracts (which Bakala helped to arrange for the posthumous premiere, which he conducted) is also included. There's a fascinating performance with Bakala at the piano in a radio recording of the Diary of One who Disappeared, a work he "discovered" in Janáček's wooden chest of manuscripts, and - more importantly - a work he had rehearsed in the composer's presence before giving the world premiere. There are a number of other Bakala recordings as fillers, the most unusual of which is the rare Ultraphon 78 rpm set of Taras Bulba recorded in 1949.
This is a specialist release, but for anyone interested, it's an amazing archive. I have to declare an interest: I wrote the booklet notes for the set. As a result, I've come to know these performances extremely well and a couple of things stand out. First, the sound is remarkably good for its age. Second, and more importantly, the performances are incredibly idiomatic - with soloists many of whom studied the roles with the singers who had created them a generation earlier. By the way, the booklet is quite extensive (40pp., A5) and I hope it will prove informative.
Details of the set can be found here: http://crqeditions.co.uk/ (scroll down to "Special Offers"). These performances - of which my own favourite is the 1953 broadcast of Kát'a Kabanová - are just the "treasure" that Sir Charles said they were. Absolutely wonderful stuff.
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