Josef SUK (1874-1935)
Ripening. Symphonic Poem, Op. 34 (1917) [39’32"]
A Fairy Tale, Op. 16 (1898) [31’16"]*
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Václav Talich
Recorded in the Dvořák Hall of Rudolfinum,
Prague 28 April 1956; *at the Domovina Studio, Prague 2 May 1949
SUPRAPHON 11 1904-2 001 [70’58"]
Down the years there have
been a number of top class Czech conductors, among them Ančerl
and Kubelik. However, the one man who stands out as probably the father
of Czech conducting is Václav Talich (1883-1961). Not only did
Talich play the leading role in bringing the Czech Philharmonic to the
front rank of world orchestras but he also passed on his immense knowledge
of Czech music to a succeeding generation of conductors, among them
Sir Charles Mackerras. His career was frequently interrupted by the
various political vicissitudes of twentieth century Czech society and
this undoubtedly reduced the number of recordings he left.
Those who are familiar with his magisterial 1952 recording
of Suk’s Asrael Symphony will know that he had a special affinity
for this composer’s music and the performances on this CD confirm that.
Indeed, it was his conducting of the first performance of Ripening
in 1918, the year after the work’s completion, which really put
Talich on the map and led to his engagement by the Czech Philharmonic,
which he led, with a couple of interruptions, from 1919 to 1941.
Ripening was inspired by a poem of the same
name by the Czech poet, Antonín Sova (1864-1928). The composition
occupied Suk on and off from 1912 until 1917 but he was frequently distracted
by events including the deaths of his parents and also by other musical
activities, including his membership of the Czech Quartet. As John Tyrell,
the noted authority on Czech music, has pointed out, the Czech title
of Sova’s poem, Zrání, translates not just as "ripening"
(as in the case of fruit), but also as "maturity". In his
poem Sova expounds his view that maturity comes from bitter experience.
Suk’s piece, which plays continuously, is not a programmatic
work but rather a meditation on the conflicting emotions that the human
spirit can go through in trying to attain spiritual maturity despites
and during the travails of life. As we all know, life has its ups and
downs and so too, emotionally, does Suk’s piece, which depicts a wide
range of human emotions and feelings through colourfully scored, expansive
music.
A large orchestra is employed but though there are
some massive climaxes the score contains many other passages of chamber-like
delicacy and refinement (and, it must be said, Suk’s climaxes are never
vulgar or ostentatious.) It is, above all, in the more lightly scored
passages that the mastery of Talich and the excellence of his CPO players
are most obviously demonstrated. In these refined passages we can hear
some marvellous string playing and some extremely characterful wind
contributions.
Truth to tell, the Supraphon recording does get pretty
congested in the passages which are more fully scored (and the orchestra
is quite often at full throttle in this work.) If you want to hear a
full and truthful recording of Suk’s score the 1992 Virgin recording
by Libor Pešek and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra wins hands
down over Talich (and Pešek directs a pretty good performance too).
In one other important respect the Pešek recording enjoys an advantage
for Virgin divide the score into eight separate tracks. While the work
plays continuously this separate tracking does help the listener to
get his or her bearings. As I indicated, Pešek’s is a very sound interpretation
but Talich does have a rather special authority and he leads the ear
on very persuasively. He is also, rightly, I think, a bit more urgent
in certain places than Pešek whose performance takes a full two minutes
longer. Both readings give enormous satisfaction.
Incidentally, though the documentation makes no mention
of this point, Talich does indeed employ the wordless female chorus
whose brief interjection in the serene coda is so telling (track 1,
35’03" onwards.) Pešek’s chorus, though properly distanced in the
aural spectrum, are better recorded and so make more of an impact. The
introduction of female voices, albeit briefly, strikes me as a master
stroke by Suk as it reinforces the conviction inherent at this point
in the music that despite all the preceding tribulations, maturity has
indeed been attained by the time we reach the end of the piece.
The four-movement suite, A Fairy Tale originated
in extensive incidental music which Suk composed for a play, Radúz
and Mahulena by one Julius Zeyer which was first produced in 1898
at the Prague National Theatre. Put simply, the play relates the tale
of a prince and princess (the eponymous hero and heroine) whose love
is so strong that it survives all the tribulations which life throws
at them. Work on extracting the suite from the much longer complete
score occupied Suk from September 1889 to June 1890.
The suite is a magical, atmospheric score, orchestrated
with an opulence which at times verges on the Straussian. Probably because
it is a much more obviously narrative work than the allegorical Ripening
the argument is easier to follow (though as music Ripening is
a score of greater stature.)
Once again there is much to admire in the CPO’s playing
for Talich. A sensuous, finely spun violin solo in the opening movement,
‘True love of Radúz and Mahulena and Their Sorrows’ (track 2),
is a particular delight – the music returns at the end of the last movement
(track 5, 5’52") as the heart-easing coda illustrates Radúz
and his princess finally attaining loving happiness. If the first movement
of the suite features especially the rich, resonant strings of the CPO
then the brief polka which follows it (track 3) brings the wind to the
fore and the playing is incisive and most characterful. The gravely
impassioned Funeral Music (track 4) is performed with great feeling.
Here we are in the sound world of Asrael, though not quite at
the same level of intensity that one experiences in that searing, elegiac
masterpiece.
Talich’s conducting of the suite is very fine and he
obtains playing of genuine passion and commitment from the CPO. Incidentally,
one thing which listeners will notice in both works is an almost complete
absence of the Slavic vibrato which became such a feature of the brass
sections of Eastern European orchestras in the 1950s and 1960s. I can
only presume that this feature only spread gradually through conservatories
after the Iron Curtain came down and musicians in central Europe became
more heavily influenced by Russian colleagues.
The recording of A Fairy Tale was made seven
years before that of Ripening. However, I actually preferred
the sound of the earlier recording. On my equipment, both through loudspeakers
and headphones, the 1949 sound appeared to have a more telling bass
(though some listeners might think the sound "boomy"). Also
the recording coped with climaxes a bit more easily and there seemed
to be a more natural front-to-back perspective to the sound picture.
The limitations of the recording prevent this CD from
being a first choice. For Ripening I would confidently recommend
Pešek’s Virgin account while A Fairy Tale has
been recorded splendidly for Chandos by Jiŕi Bĕlohlávek who,
like Talich, conducts the Czech Philharmonic. (Pešek has also recorded
A Fairy Tale with the CPO, this time for Supraphon, but I have
not heard this account.) However, the performances collected here are
uniquely authoritative and the lustrous playing of the CPO can’t be
hidden by the elderly recorded sound. I ought to point out that the
liner notes are not especially helpful as regards the music; most of
the background information given above has been obtained from other
sources.
This Talich CD is essential listening for all admirers
of the eloquent, superbly crafted music of Josef Suk and I strongly
recommend it to collectors as an essential supplement to the modern
recordings mentioned above.
John Quinn
Czech PO/Václav Talich