It is fair to say that, his Czech Dances aside,
Smetana's piano music is justifiably overshadowed by his chamber, orchestral
and operatic output, despite the fact that he was by all accounts a
gifted performer. Jitka Čechová's surname appropriately
translates as something like 'female Czech', and there is no doubt Smetana's
music is in her blood, but for all her advocacy, volumes 5 and 6 of
this 7-CD complete solo music cycle from Supraphon reiterate the message
from previous discs, that Smetana's heart was only half in his piano
writing (see reviews of
Volume
3 and
Volume
4).
Like previous instalments, volume 5 (released in 2011) is of minor interest
to anyone other than the most devout of Smetana fans - of which there
are admittedly many in the Czech Republic where Supraphon's market is
doubtless strongest. Only the opening Bagatelles and Impromptus runs
to any significant time, yet even this is really just a suite of simple
mood pieces. 'Chopin-lite', or watered-down proto-Dvořák-of-the-Slavonic-Dances,
are fair characterisations of much of Čechová's programme
here. Smetana's own high approval of the Louisina Polka, as described
in the notes, is hard to fathom.
None of which is to say that any of this is poor stuff - in fact, it
is always melodious and as music to unwind to it has much to recommend
it, not least Supraphon's good, solid audio and Čechová's
attractively romantic pianism. The three standalone Impromptus, though
only a pale shadow of Chopin's, do actually deserve any occasional airing
they get on recordings or the concert stage. In fact they mark the beginning
of the more interesting half of Čechová's recital - where
the two Quadrilles and the more truly Chopinesque Mazurka-Capriccio
are also owed an honourable mention. In fairness to Smetana, all the
works featured here were composed while he was still a teenager.
Čechová is not really "part of the new generation of Czech
musicians", as Supraphon claim - she was already in her thirties when
she began this cycle in 2005. In fact, she brings a maturity to these
recordings that is arguably more than the works on volume 5 merit. On
the other hand, that same experience helps make a strong case for some
of those on volume 6, where there is not a dance piece in sight. Smetana's
op.1, the Six Characteristic Pieces, fully deserves its opus recognition,
a collection of deeply atmospheric pieces dedicated to and applauded
by Liszt. Other works - notably the restless Caprice in G minor, the
turbulent Allegro Capriccioso and the lovely Romanza in B flat - reveal
a composer still young but with a new-found maturity. It is quite likely
no coincidence that nearly all the items on this disc date from 1848,
a year of great political upheaval in Europe.
Supraphon have slipped far behind schedule on this project - their website
still indicates a complete cycle by 2008. Nonetheless, of the first
four volumes, only the third (SU 3843-2), courtesy of the two sets of
Czech Dances, and perhaps the second (SU 3842-2) for Sny (Dreams), can
be said to contain any really significant music. On the whole, the first
five indeed are quite densely populated by standalone polkas and other
short dance forms which, though undeniably pleasant and well crafted,
are more for the easy listener than the serious one. Volume 6, on the
other hand, reveals in parts the Smetana recognisable from beyond the
keyboard, his eye and ear on a legacy of greater profundity rather than
commerce.
The accompanying notes are in English, French and German in translation,
besides the original Czech. Some of the translators are clearly non-natives,
giving renditions that are at times a little shaky - "saloon music",
"idiomatic singularities in the tectonics" - and which occasionally
loose their grip on intelligibility: "[the] eight brief characteristic
pieces [...] verge in tiny areas of the two- or three-part form on an
original expression of a programme intention." The notes do in any case
tend towards the rambling, typically Slavic phraseology finding itself
unflattered by English word-for-word. On the other hand, they cover
pretty much all the required ground. Both discs offer very generous
timings, which partially offset Supraphon's higher retail pricing.
Byzantion
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