Falletta and Wit to record Czech music for Naxos
Two new recordings from Naxos offer the opportunity to test one commentator’s observation that “Janáček carves with a knife; Suk draws with the most delicate pen”.
Following well-received concerts in late April, the Warsaw Philharmonic together with artistic director Antoni Wit returned to Philharmonic Hall in the Polish capital to record Janáček’s mighty Glagolitic Mass. They were joined by soloists Christine Libor (soprano), Ewa Marciniec (contralto), Timothy Bentch (tenor), and Wojciech Gierlach (bass). The work will be coupled on disc with a performance of Janáček’s Sinfonietta, recorded in September 2009.
And in early May, JoAnn Falletta took the Buffalo Philharmonic into the studio to record three works by Janáček’s contemporary, Josef Suk. The disc will include the Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra – which some consider the most important Czech concerto for the instrument alongside Dvořák’s – featuring soloist Michael Ludwig, coupled with the evocative Fairy Tale and effervescent Scherzo fantastique.
