Album

This may not need to be the only Janácek set on the shelf, but it is surely a good place to start a Janácek collection. Outside of the operas, all Janácek's core works are here as well as a few oddballs. But for the core works, the performances in this set are as good or better than any other non-Czech performance. Paul Crossley's performances of the piano works are startlingly expressionistic and completely convincing. The Gabrieli String Quartet's performances of the string quartets are stunningly erotic and absolutely persuasive. And, of course, Charles Mackerras and the Vienna Philharmonic's performances of the Sinfonietta and Taras Bulba are staggeringly dramatic and utterly compelling. Even in the oddball works like the Nursery Rhymes and Youth, the predominantly English performers are credible enough. Neville Marriner's recording of the Suite for strings is in the same ineffable league as Mackerras and only Riccardo Chailly's Glagolic Mass is distinctly substandard. While a truly representative Janácek shelf would include at least four of the operas, plus recordings of the core works by Czech performers, this Decca set is well worth hearing. With recordings as old as 1970 and as recent as 1997, Decca's sound is uniformly clear and warm.

© James Leonard, All Music Guide

CD 1 of 5
Leoš Janáček Composer On the Overgrown Path (Po zarostlém chodnícku), JW 8/17 Work 44:50 Paul Crossley Piano
1	1.First Series: Our Evenings	3:47			$0.99
2	2.First Series: A Blown-Away Leaf	3:15			$0.99
3	3.First Series: Come with Us!	1:13			$0.49
4	4.First Series: The Madonna of Frýdek	4:09			$0.99
5	5.First Series: They Chattered like Swallows	2:03			$0.99
6	6.First Series: Words Fail!	2:16			$0.99
7	7.First Series: Goodnight!	2:46			$0.99
8	8.First Series: Unutterable Anguish	2:56			$0.99
9	9.First Series: In Tears	2:59			$0.99
10	10.First Series: The Barn Owl has Not Flown Away!	3:41			$0.99
11	11.Second Series: Andante	2:49			$0.99
12	12.Second Series: Allegretto	3:15			$0.99
13	13.Second Series: Più mosso	2:35			$0.99
14	15.Second Series: Allegro	5:10			$0.99
15	14.Second Series: Vivo	1:56			$0.49
Leoš Janáček Composer Theme and Variations in Bb ('Zdenciny variace,' 'Zdenka Variations'), JW 8/6 Work Paul Crossley Piano
16	Theme and Variations in Bb ('Zdenciny variace,' 'Zdenka Variations'), JW 8/6	11:31			$1.99
Leoš Janáček Composer In the Mists (V Mlhách), JW8/22 Work Recorded 1978 15:37 Paul Crossley Piano
17	1.Andante	3:37			$0.99
18	2.Molto adagio	4:40			$0.99
19	3.Andantino	2:42			$0.99
20	4.Presto	4:38			$0.99
Leoš Janáček Composer Reminiscence (Vzpomínka), JW 8/32 Work Recorded 1979 Paul Crossley Piano
21	Reminiscence (Vzpomínka), JW 8/32	1:08			$0.49
CD 2 of 5
Leoš Janáček Composer String Quartet No.1 ('Kreutzer'), JW 7/8 Work Recorded 1977 18:13 Gabrieli String Quartet String Quartet
1	1.Adagio	4:30			$0.99
2	2.Con moto. Vivace	4:03			$0.99
3	3.Con moto. Vivace. Andante	4:01			$0.99
4	4.Con moto. Adagio	5:39			$0.99
Leoš Janáček Composer String Quartet No.2 ('Listy duverné,' 'Intimate Letters'), JW 7/13 Work Recorded 1977 25:41 Gabrieli String Quartet String Quartet
5	1.Andante con moto	5:50			$0.99
6	2.Adagio	6:15			$0.99
7	3.Moderato	5:51			$0.99
8	4.Allegro	7:45			$1.49
Leoš Janáček Composer Violin Sonata, JW 7/7 Work Recorded 1978 18:34 Kenneth Sillito Violin, Paul Crossley Piano
9	1.Con moto	5:38			$0.99
10	2.Ballada: Con moto	5:36			$0.99
11	3.Allegretto	2:34			$0.99
12	4.Adagio	4:46			$0.99
Leoš Janáček Composer Dumka, for violin and piano, JW 7/4 Work Recorded 1978 Kenneth Sillito Violin, Paul Crossley Piano
13	Dumka, for violin and piano, JW 7/4	5:44			$0.99
Leoš Janáček Composer Romance for Violin and Piano in E, JW 7/3 Work Recorded 1978 Kenneth Sillito Violin, Paul Crossley Piano
14	Romance for Violin and Piano in E, JW 7/3	5:12			$0.99
CD 3 of 5
Leoš Janáček Composer Mládí (Youth), suite for wind sextet, JW 7/10 Work Recorded 1978 16:53 Janet Craxton Oboe, Antony Pay Clarinet, Michael Harris Clarinet (Bass), Phillip Eastop Horn, Martin Gatt Bassoon, Sebastian Bell Piccolo
1	1.Andante (Allegro)	3:45			$0.99
2	2.Moderato (Andante sostenuto)	5:06			$0.99
3	3.Allegro (Vivace)	3:41			$0.99
4	4.Con moto (Allegro animato)	4:21			$0.99
Leoš Janáček Composer Capriccio for piano (left hand), flute, and brass ensemble ('Vzdor', 'Defiance'), JW 7/12 Work Recorded 1978 20:48 Paul Crossley Piano, David Atherton Conductor, David Purser Tuba (Tenor), Sebastian Bell Piccolo, John Iveson Trombone, Eric Crees Trombone, Peter Harvey Trombone, James Watson Trumpet, Philip Jones Trumpet
5	1.Allegro	4:56			$0.99
6	2.Adagio	5:56			$0.99
7	3.Allegretto	3:33			$0.99
8	4.Andante	6:23			$0.99
Leoš Janáček Composer Concertino for piano, 2 violins, viola, clarinet, horn, and bassoon, JW 7/11 Work Recorded 1978 17:26 Antony Pay Clarinet, Phillip Eastop Horn, Brian Wightman Bassoon, Paul Crossley Piano, David Atherton Conductor, Nona Liddell Violin, Joan Atherton Violin, Donald McVay Viola
9	1.Moderato	5:59			$0.99
10	2.Piu mosso	3:27			$0.99
11	3.Con moto	3:40			$0.99
12	4.Allegro	4:20			$0.99
Leoš Janáček Composer Pohádka (Fairy Tale; 'The Story of Tsar Berendyey'), for cello and piano, JW 7/5 Work 12:04 Paul Crossley Piano, Christopher Van Kampen Cello
13	1.Con moto. Andante	5:07			$0.99
14	2.Con moto. Adagio	4:17			$0.99
15	3.Allegro	2:40			$0.99
Leoš Janáček Composer Presto for Cello and Piano, JW 7/6 Work Recorded 1979 Paul Crossley Piano, Christopher Van Kampen Cello
16	Presto for Cello and Piano, JW 7/6	2:01			$0.99
CD 4 of 5
Leoš Janáček Composer Sinfonietta ('Military,' 'Sokol Festival'), JW 6/18 Work Recorded 1980 24:10 Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Orchestra, Sir Charles Mackerras Conductor
1	1.Allegretto	2:24			$0.99
2	2.Andante	6:10			$0.99
3	3.Moderato	5:21			$0.99
4	4.Allegretto	3:02			$0.99
5	5.Andante con moto	7:13			$1.49
Leoš Janáček Composer Taras Bulba (rhapsody) JW 6/15 Work Recorded 1980 23:19 Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Orchestra, Sir Charles Mackerras Conductor
6	1.Death of Andrei	8:51			$1.49
7	2.Death of Ostap	5:28			$0.99
8	3.Prophecy and Death of Taras Bulba	9:00			$1.49
Leoš Janáček Composer 6 Lachian Dances, JW 6/17 Work Recorded 1970 22:13 London Philharmonic Orchestra Orchestra, François Huybrechts Conductor
9	1.Starodávný I	6:31			$0.99
10	2.Pozehnaný (The Blessed One)	2:25			$0.99
11	3.Dymák (Smoke Dance or Blacksmith's Dance)	2:12			$0.99
12	4.Starodávný II	5:52			$0.99
13	5.Celadenský (From the Village of Celadna)	2:00			$0.99
14	6.Pilky (Saw dance)	3:13			$0.99
CD 5 of 5
Leoš Janáček Composer Suite for String Orchestra, JW 6/2 Work Recorded 1974 18:52 Sir Neville Marriner Conductor, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra Orchestra
1	1.Moderato	4:36			$0.99
2	2.Adagio	3:42			$0.99
3	3.Andante con moto	1:22			$0.49
4	4.Scherzo: Presto	2:41			$0.99
5	5.Adagio	3:12			$0.99
6	6.Andante	3:19			$0.99
Leoš Janáček Composer 18 Nursery Rhymes (Říkadla) for 9 voices and 10 instruments, JW 5/17 Work Recorded 1978 Judith Pearce Piccolo, Gregory Knowles Percussion, David Atherton Conductor, Antony Pay Clarinet (E Flat), John Constable Piano, Sebastian Bell Ocarina, London Sinfonietta Chorus Orchestra, Martin Gatt Bassoon, Julian Farrell Clarinet (E Flat), Brian Burrowes Tenor, Robin McGee Double Bass, Wendy Philips Contrabassoon
7	18 Nursery Rhymes (Říkadla) for 9 voices and 10 instruments, JW 5/17	15:20			$2.49
Leoš Janáček Composer Glagolitic Mass (Mša glagolskaja), for soloists, double chorus, orchestra, and organ, JW 3/9 Work Recorded 1997 40:30 Thomas Trotter Organ, Slovak Philharmonic Choir Chorus/Choir, Marta Benackova Mezzo-Soprano, Vladimir Bogachev Tenor, Riccardo Chailly Conductor, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Orchestra, Richard Novak Bass, Eva Uvbanová Soprano
8	1.Úvod (Einleitung / Introduction)	3:32			$0.99
9	2.Gospodi pomiluj (Kyrie)	3:30			$0.99
10	3.Slava (Gloria)	6:24			$0.99
11	4.Veruju (Credo)	11:38			$1.99
12	5.Svet (Sanctus)	6:06			$0.99
13	6.Agnece Bozij (Agnus Dei)	4:49			$0.99
14	7.Vahany solo (Organ)	2:48			$0.99
15	8.Intrada	1:43			$0.49