Yes, but some work better than others. 1, 5 and 6 make little sense outside of the sequence.
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I have exactly the same thoughts, Jayne. You beat me to it. I've always thought Blanik (No 6) includes an awful lot of crash-bang-wallops which make little sense without knowledge of earlier thematic material. I wouldn't want to listen to it as a stand-alone piece. -
There is still (in 1958) the "Sound of Old Vienna" in there somewhere isn't there?Originally posted by jayne lee wilson View Post
- Definitely. In that particular avenue, it stands alone, well, certainly from the versions I have.
So you perceive that Slav-folk input, Bohemian in character, Austro-Hungarian in its sources....very appealing.
- Certainly, which I suppose may not be wholly unexpected, given that perhaps some of the musicians may have had their musical roots close to, or in the Slav-folk tradition. I could be completely wrong, but I do feel there may be a link.
The Wiener Phiharmoniker have lost some of their distinctiveness since the 50s, so it would be interesting to see what Harnoncourt made of it in Ma Vlast
- Again - I go along with that. Perhaps it (VPO) has become more 'universalised' in its sound, over the decades. I would also be interested to "see what Harnoncourt made of it" One thing for sure; I have the impression there are many fine versions of this huge chef d'oeuvre, from almost all major (and some 'lesser') conductors and ensembles. I can't say yet that I've heard any real turkeys...... long may that continue!Comment
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Absolutely. It is a very strong cycle, and works beautifully as an evening-length experience, especially as the interval falls so naturally after Sarka.Originally posted by Bryn View Post
, though I'm not that fond of listening to even Vltava on its own.Comment
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Yes indeed and in playing separately no blood is shed.Originally posted by Serial_Apologist View Post
...Jayne, I disagree and could listen to Vysehrad on its own anytime and those harps at the beginning are wonderful!Comment
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Once I'd heard the complete cycle there was never any thought to listening to individual movements again. It is so thematically connected that it makes a very satisfying whole and the 75 minutes whizz by so quickly that I don't usually have an interval.Originally posted by cloughie View Post"The sound is the handwriting of the conductor" - Bernard HaitinkComment
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The VPO/Kubelik sounds very well on the secondhand Belart CD I bought.Comment
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Two small comments (with apologies if anyone's made them before):
Hrusa's Prague Philharmonia performance is in a different bracket to the great majority of recorded performances, as the orchestra is a slightly extended chamber orchestra, i.e. smaller than we're used to in Ma Vlast. That's why some people find the recording too close: like Anna Pickard, they don't realize that they're listening to a reduced number of players.
Norrington's performance is a must-have for anyone who wants to get an idea of the sound Smetana actually had in mind - it is (to use an overused epithet!) a revelation. The winds are much more prominent, in absolutely equal interplay with the smaller body of strings. The sense of "blocks" of colour is startling, and the distinctiveness of this true "Smetana sound" is pungent, and virile, with nothing "smoothed out" or "cushioned" about it. Hrusa was trying to replicate this feeling, in using a reduced string section in his Prague Philharmonia performance.Comment
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You've rather sold that to me, MJ. Must try and hear it. Very difficult to know what Smetana 'had in mind' of course, but that applies to all historically researched performances of whatever era. But the number of generations between us and Smetana is far less than for Baroque composers. Musical 'memories' are much more likely to be accurately transmitted. [One fact I always find interesting but which others probably think irrelevant is that 'Daddy' Mann, organist of Kings College Cambridge until 1929, was taught the organ by someone born in the 18th...yes, eighteenth...century.The human span is long.]Norrington's performance is a must-have for anyone who wants to get an idea of the sound Smetana actually had in mind - it is (to use an overused epithet!) a revelation. The winds are much more prominent, in absolutely equal interplay with the smaller body of strings. The sense of "blocks" of colour is startling, and the distinctiveness of this true "Smetana sound" is pungent, and virile, with nothing "smoothed out" or "cushioned" about it. Hrusa was trying to replicate this feeling, in using a reduced string section in his Prague Philharmonia performance.Comment
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Those Belart CDS are very good; rubbish design and artwork, one could be forgiven for thinking they will BE rubbish!Originally posted by Barbirollians View PostComment
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They’re the forerunners to Eloquence - all vintage Decca/DG/Philips !Originally posted by visualnickmos View Post
Back on topic I have just added CPO/Ancerl vintage Supraphon to my collection.Comment
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Finally got round to listening to it . Less “Czech” than Anvers and the like but heavens it is fabulously played,conducted and recorded . A marvellous record.Originally posted by Barbirollians View PostComment
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