Leos JANÁČEK (1854-1928)
Taras Bulba (1918) [24.57]
Lachian Dances (1890) [20.32]
Moravian Dances (1891) [9.09]
Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra/Antoni Wit
rec. Warsaw Philharmonic Hall, 2-3 September 2010 (Taras Bulba),
26 April 2011 (Moravian Dances), and Witold Lutosławski Studio,
Polish Radio Warsaw, 12-13 October 2010 (Lachian Dances)
NAXOS 8.572695 [54.38]
The coupling of Janáček’s two late orchestral masterpieces Taras
Bulba and the Sinfonietta has long been a favourite programme
on disc; Naxos themselves issued a CD of this pairing conducted by old Naxos
stalwart Ondrej Lenard with the Slovak Philharmonic (which also included the
Lachian Dances). Here Antoni Wit discards the Sinfonietta
and instead gives us two much earlier Janáček scores in the shape
of the Lachian Dances (again) and the Moravian Dances, of
which the latter is a real rarity.
The performance here of Taras Bulba comes into competition not only
with Naxos’s old Lenard performance but many others, some of which are among
the jewels of the CD catalogue. Among those are an early recording by Simon
Rattle with the Philharmonia Orchestra. Currently and disgracefully this is
only available as a fill-up for his Covent Garden recording in English of
The cunning little vixen; surely a prime candidate for re-release.
A comparison with that reading makes it all too apparent what is missing here.
The story behind Taras Bulba is a thoroughly unpleasant one of heroic
resistance by the Cossacks to the Poles. It centres around three scenes of
unnatural death – one in battle, one by torture and one by immolation. Wit
and his Polish orchestra sound positively apologetic about this, choosing
instead to emphasise the lyric and contemplative episodes in the score. Without
the violence being graphically portrayed a whole dimension is missing, and
the organ in the last movement sounds positively churchy. The string playing
sounds somewhat recessed and lacking in definition in the admittedly fiendishly
difficult virtuoso writing. This imbalance is a serious defect in
the recording. Although the violins are precise, they do not dominate as they
should in the final pages and their trills - which depict the fire in which
the hero is burning - sound rather anaemic.
Even better than the Rattle performance is that by Mackerras with the Vienna
Philharmonic. This is something else again. Not only do you hear the full
viciousness of the orchestral writing given its due by a world-class orchestra
but also there’s superlatively great recording quality which comprehensively
outclasses Rattle. This recording is variously available at mid-price either
coupled with a white-hot reading of the Sinfonietta or as part of
a Double Decca release which also includes not only the Sinfonietta
but also Huybrecht’s reading of the Lachian Dances and a number of
other smaller works. Listen to the stinging violin tone which Mackerras obtains
in the opening of The death of Ostap, and the overly precise tone
of the Warsaw strings becomes only too apparent; there is no sense of violence
here.
Wit’s couplings of the Lachian and Moravian Dances are likewise
somewhat polite. The very opening of the Lachian Dances lacks the
spring that Huybrechts brings to the score. The rhythmic elements – although
crisply delivered – lack the ideal element of bite that the scoring invites.
The Moravian Dances, on the other hand, come up against much less
demanding competition. The only other recording in the current catalogue is
again from Naxos in a performance by Libor Pešek coupled with the reconstructed
Danube Symphony or as part of a general collection of Slavonic music.
That recording dates from 1986 - originally issued on Marco Polo. Here comparisons
are much more favourable to Wit on this issue. The orchestral playing by the
Warsaw Philharmonic is much better than with the Slovak Philharmonic for Pešek.
The recording is much rounder and more atmospheric; the 1986 sound is rather
astringent. It is surprising that this work is so neglected, for it is far
from negligible even if not representative of Janáček at his greatest.
It is extremely pleasing to make its acquaintance again. It is emphatically
not noticeably inferior to the Lachian Dances from a year or so earlier,
and that work has never lacked for performances or recordings.
Those who love the music of Janáček will therefore definitely
want this recording for the sake of the best performance currently available
of the Moravian Dances, although this only constitutes nine minutes’
worth of music.
Paul Corfield Godfrey
You will definitely want this for the best performance currently available
of the Moravian Dances.
see also review by Brian Reinhart (June 2012 Recording of the Month)