Vítězslav Novák - Slovak Suite; etc. (Libor Pešek)

Information

Composer: Vítězslav Novák

• In the Tatra Mountains, Op. 26
• Eternal Longing, Op. 33
• Slovak Suite, Op. 32

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

Libor Pešek, conductor

Date: 1997

Label: Virgin

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Review

Libor Pesek’s latest Slavonic excursion with the RLPO for Virgin Classics will surely win many new friends for the music of Dvorak-pupil, Vitezslav Novak (1870-1949). Aided by luminous, supremely affectionate orchestral playing and rich, beautifully refined sound, the Slovak Suite (1903) creates a delightful impression here – but then again, given its wealth of glorious melody and felicitous orchestral colour how could it not? Pesek’s unhurried manner imparts a stately, glowing dignity to the opening “At Church”, while the ensuing “Children’s Scene” goes with refreshing snap and clean-limbed vigour. Elsewhere, the ravishing portrait of “The Lovers” is sweetly drawn, evincing a gentle, unaffected ardour that is most touching, “The Ball” nicely combines earthiness and humour, and the concluding “The Night” has exactly the right sense of wide-eyed, pantheistic wonder and fragrant tenderness. Enthusiasts won’t need reminding just how good both current comparative versions are, especially Karel Sejna’s irresistibly tangy Brno account (this great conductor’s very last recording, made in 1968 during Dubcek’s short-lived Prague Spring). I wouldn’t necessarily state that Pesek’s new account is capable of activating the tear-ducts to quite the same degree as do Sejna’s or Talich’s, but it remains a thoroughly pleasing achievement all the same.

The symphonic poems In the Tatra Mountains and Eternal Longing date from 1902 and 1904 respectively. Both inhabit a headily evocative, neo-Straussian landscape – indeed, it’s remarkable just how much of the former strikingly pre-echoes An Alpine Symphony (and how, for that matter, the first couple of minutes recall the opening of Mahler’s First Symphony). Of the two, Eternal Longing is the more visionary and subtly coloured; its slightly earlier partner, on the other hand, displays the stronger melodic profile and more satisfying formal ruggedness. Throughout, Novak’s orchestral command is total and both works are undoubtedly superior examples of fin de siecle decadence which many listeners will lap up.

Collectors will, of course, always cherish Sejna’s marvellous Czech PO performances from 1966, but Pesek all but matches his countryman’s formidable interpretative prowess (I enjoyed the extra sense of peril and drama he brings to the central portion of In the Tatra Mountains). Moreover, the admirable Liverpool orchestra respond with all the freshness and enthusiasm of new discovery. A very desirable CD. Now, I wonder whether Pesek could be persuaded to turn his attentions to Novak’s large-scale ‘sea fantasy’, The Storm (1908-10)?

— Andrew Achenbach

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Vítězslav Novák (5 December 1870 – 18 July 1949) was a Czech composer and teacher associated with the neo-romantic tradition and Czech musical modernism. He studied at the Prague Conservatory, attending masterclasses with Antonín Dvořák alongside peers such as Josef Suk. Novák later taught at the Conservatory from 1909 to 1920, with Vítězslava Kaprálová among his students. His work was influential in shaping a national cultural identity following Czechoslovakia's independence in 1918. Known for his orchestral and operatic compositions, Novák's music blends rich Romantic expression with modernist elements

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Libor Pešek (22 June 1933 – 23 October 2022) was a Czech conductor. He studied at the Academy of Musical Arts in Prague under Václav Smetáček and Karel Ančerl. Pešek founded and led Prague Chamber Harmony (1958–1964), served as chief conductor of the Slovak Philharmonic (1981–1982), and was conductor-in-residence with the Czech Philharmonic (1982–1990). From 1987 to 1998, he was music director of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, leading its first U.S. tour. He later conducted the Czech National Symphony Orchestra (2007–2019). Pešek was best known for his champion of lesser known Czech composers.

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