Ciconia Consort - Slavic Rhapsody (2023) [Official Digital Download 24/96]

The soul of Bohemia: familiar masterpieces and little-known gems for string ensemble by the five most famous Czech composers of the 19th and 20th centuries.

The affection and vigour of Dvorák’s Serenade for Strings has kept its freshness while many other works from the same era have receded into obscurity. This performance by the Ciconia Consort lends it a new lease of life: as rhythmically springy and attentive to detail as the ensembles previous, critically acclaimed explorations of the string-orchestra repertoire of France, England, the US and Germany in beautifully curated themes.
Janáček’s Suite for Strings is an early work, Romantic in character and recognisably descended from the String Serenades of Dvorák and Tchaikovsky, but nonetheless characteristic of the composer’s quirky language with its adoption of Czech speech rhythms. In 1931, Martinů was also inspired by Czech folk melodies when writing his Partita as a Czech émigré in faraway Paris. However, Martinů develops these melodies in a modern style reminiscent of Béla Bartók. Without slow movements, intimacy, or a poetic character, the character of the suite as a whole is spicy, tough and extrovert: inimitably Martinů.

Smetana scored his tone-picture Rybář (The Fisherman), for harmonium, harp, and strings: it is a musical ‘tableau vivant’ after Goethe’s poem Der Fischer, which describes a fisherman who is overpowered by the mysterious and magical pull of the water. The theme of Rybář and Smetana’s haunting translation into music also make it a kind of study for his evocation of the river Vltava in Ma Vlast. A little more familiar is the grave Meditation on the Hymn to St Wenceslas by Dvorák’s student and son-in-law, Josef Suk, in which the old melody is treated like a family heirloom.
‘Dick van Gasteren directs the players with a sure hand. The recorded sound is warm, with a certain degree of plush resonance… this definitely makes for enjoyable listening; cordially recommended.’ Fanfare (‘Rheingold’, 96426)
‘I enjoyed this disc greatly… The Ciconia Consort does Castérède proud, dispatching the counterpoint in the finale with relish.’ Fanfare (French Music for String Orchestra, 95734)

TRACKLIST

1. Ciconia Consort - Serenade for Strings in E Major, B.52: I. Moderato
2. Ciconia Consort - Serenade for Strings in E Major, B.52: II. Tempo di Valse
3. Ciconia Consort - Serenade for Strings in E Major, B.52: III. Scherzo. Vivace
4. Ciconia Consort - Serenade for Strings in E Major, B.52: IV. Larghetto
5. Ciconia Consort - Serenade for Strings in E Major, B.52: V. Finale. Allegro Vivace
6. Ciconia Consort - Suite for String Orchestra, JW6 No. 2: I. Moderato
7. Ciconia Consort - Suite for String Orchestra, JW6 No. 2: II. Adagio
8. Ciconia Consort - Suite for String Orchestra, JW6 No. 2: III. Andante con Moto
9. Ciconia Consort - Suite for String Orchestra, JW6 No. 2: IV. Presto
10. Ciconia Consort - Suite for String Orchestra, JW6 No. 2: V. Adagio
11. Ciconia Consort - Suite for String Orchestra, JW6 No. 2: VI. Andante
12. Ciconia Consort - Meditace na staročeský 'Svatý Václave', Op. 35a
13. Ciconia Consort - Partita Suite No. 1 for String Orchestra, H.212: I. Poco Allegro
14. Ciconia Consort - Partita Suite No. 1 for String Orchestra, H.212: II. Moderato
15. Ciconia Consort - Partita Suite No. 1 for String Orchestra, H.212: III. Andante Moderato
16. Ciconia Consort - Partita Suite No. 1 for String Orchestra, H.212: IV. Poco Allegretto
17. Ciconia Consort - Rybář [The Fisherman], JB1: 7



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