MusicWeb International One of the most grown-up review sites around 2023
Approaching 60,000 reviews
and more.. and still writing ...

Search MusicWeb Here Acte Prealable Polish CDs
 

Presto Music CD retailer
 
Founder: Len Mullenger                                    Editor in Chief:John Quinn             

REVIEW


Some items
to consider

new MWI
Current reviews

old MWI
pre-2023 reviews

paid for
advertisements

Acte Prealable Polish recordings

Forgotten Recordings
Forgotten Recordings
All Forgotten Records Reviews

TROUBADISC
Troubadisc Weinberg- TROCD01450

All Troubadisc reviews


FOGHORN Classics

Alexandra-Quartet
Brahms String Quartets

All Foghorn Reviews


All HDTT reviews


Songs to Harp from
the Old and New World


all Nimbus reviews



all tudor reviews


Follow us on Twitter


Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor
   
Rob Barnett
Editor in Chief
John Quinn
Contributing Editor
Ralph Moore
Webmaster
   David Barker
Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf
MusicWeb Founder
   Len Mullenger


Buy through MusicWeb
for £12 postage paid World-wide.

Musicweb Purchase button

Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897) Symphony No. 3 F dur, op. 90 (1883) [35:17]
Jaroslav KRCEK (b. 1939) Symphony No. 5 Renaissance (1993?) [27:11]
Prague Symphony Orchestra (Symfonicky orchestr hl. m. Prahy FOK)/Jiri Kout
rec. 23-24 February 2010, Smetana Hall, Municipal House, Prague. DDD
FOK 002-2 031 [62:28]

Experience Classicsonline


 
I am not at all sure about the wisdom of this coupling. It appealed strongly tome because Krcek interests me and because Brahms’ Third is my favourite among the four and has been ever since hearing the Bruno Walter CBS version on audio-cassette in the 1970s.
 
The Brahms is smoothly and searchingly recorded with plenty of woodwind detail basking in the soundstage. The occasional awkwardnesses among the winds in the first movement dissipate in the later movements. There's also some idyllically peaceful and quiet playing from the strings in the ‘Hungarian Dance’ poco allegro third movement. This is sheer magic in the hands of Jiri Kout – who was last heard by me in a Martinu programme on Arte Nova - one of their last issues, I think. This is a fine Brhams interpretation which becomes exceptional in that third movement.
 
The smiling falling away at the close of the Brahms symphony is here emphasised and engrossingly dwelt upon by Kout. This prepares us, without a grinding gear-change, for the radiant blossoming of Krcek's Fifth. His Renaissance Symphony is the last of five. It is clearly of the tonal-melodic school which still allows plenty of room for variety and difference from other composers. Its opening Lento has much interplay of warm and slowly unfolding tendrils of melody from solo woodwind over a breathing undulation from the strings. It's almost French in its gentle and petalled ecstasy. The following Vivo has the intensity of the satyrs pursuit of nymphs through groves. There’s just a hint of Roussel in this. There are some striking effects including woodblocks ‘clacketing’ over chattering woodwind. The music then feels the magnetic draw of the first movement’s warmth. The third movement is a Lento. It’s nostalgic yet of the moment - the nymphs have curled up under the trees’ green shadows in the afternoon heat. The movement ends in a taut little dance and a flash of lickety-split defiance. There's a long finale in four episodes. The Vivo begins sternly and a trumpet ushers us into a fruity almost minimalist weave of woodwind writing. The Lento basks again in benign sunlight. The music rises to a grand folk festival finale -shades of Riverdance al la czechia. looking back if this symphony had beencalled Orpheus I wdnot have been surprised. Not a discord or grating moment.
 
There is a good English and Czech liner-note.
 
Surprisingly consonant partners. If you like the Brahms you will likely enjoy the melodic Krcek after a couple of hearings.
 
Rob Barnett
 
 


Advertising on
Musicweb


Donate and keep us afloat

 

New Releases

Naxos Classical
All Naxos reviews

Hyperion recordings
All Hyperion reviews

Foghorn recordings
All Foghorn reviews

Troubadisc recordings
All Troubadisc reviews



all Bridge reviews


all cpo reviews

Divine Art recordings
Click to see New Releases
Get 10% off using code musicweb10
All Divine Art reviews


All Eloquence reviews

Lyrita recordings
All Lyrita Reviews

 

Wyastone New Releases
Obtain 10% discount

Subscribe to our free weekly review listing

 

 


EXPLORE MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL

Making a Donation to MusicWeb

Writing CD reviews for MWI

About MWI
Who we are, where we have come from and how we do it.

Site Map

How to find a review

How to find articles on MusicWeb
Listed in date order

Review Indexes
   By Label
      Select a label and all reviews are listed in Catalogue order
   By Masterwork
            Links from composer names (eg Sibelius) are to resource pages with links to the review indexes for the individual works as well as other resources.

Themed Review pages

Jazz reviews

 

Discographies
   Composer
      Composer surveys
   National
      Unique to MusicWeb -
a comprehensive listing of all LP and CD recordings of given works
.
Prepared by Michael Herman

The Collector’s Guide to Gramophone Company Record Labels 1898 - 1925
Howard Friedman

Book Reviews

Complete Books
We have a number of out of print complete books on-line

Interviews
With Composers, Conductors, Singers, Instumentalists and others
Includes those on the Seen and Heard site

Nostalgia

Nostalgia CD reviews

Records Of The Year
Each reviewer is given the opportunity to select the best of the releases

Monthly Best Buys
Recordings of the Month and Bargains of the Month

Comment
Arthur Butterworth Writes

An occasional column

Phil Scowcroft's Garlands
British Light Music articles

Classical blogs
A listing of Classical Music Blogs external to MusicWeb International

Reviewers Logs
What they have been listening to for pleasure

Announcements

 

Community
Bulletin Board

Give your opinions or seek answers

Reviewers
Past and present

Helpers invited!

Resources
How Did I Miss That?

Currently suspended but there are a lot there with sound clips


Composer Resources

British Composers

British Light Music Composers

Other composers

Film Music (Archive)
Film Music on the Web (Closed in December 2006)

Programme Notes
For concert organizers

External sites
British Music Society
The BBC Proms
Orchestra Sites
Recording Companies & Retailers
Online Music
Agents & Marketing
Publishers
Other links
Newsgroups
Web News sites etc

PotPourri
A pot-pourri of articles

MW Listening Room
MW Office

Advice to Windows Vista users  
Questionnaire    
Site History  
What they say about us
What we say about us!
Where to get help on the Internet
CD orders By Special Request
Graphics archive
Currency Converter
Dictionary
Magazines
Newsfeed  
Web Ring
Translation Service

Rules for potential reviewers :-)
Do Not Go Here!
April Fools




Return to Review Index

Untitled Document


Reviews from previous months
Join the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the discs reviewed. details
We welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin Board
Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to which you refer.