Grace notes

Compiled by Frank Kuznik and Darrell Jónsson

CLASSICAL

The Best of Czech Classics

String Quartets

Smetana Quartet

Panocha Quartet

Škampa Quartet

(Supraphon)

Ordinarily, "best of" collections would be beneath the dignity of a refined label like Supraphon. Fortunately, the smart folks running the label these days don't feel that way, and have started packaging 3-CD sets designed to introduce listeners to the Czech repertoire. And there's certainly no need to apologize for this set, which offers a primer on Czech string quartets for listeners new to the genre, but would also make a worthy addition to the shelf of any serious classical music fan. The selections are spot-on, covering keystones of Smetana and Dvořák, adding some flavor with Suk and Novák, and concluding with Janáček's two brilliant string quartets. The award-winning Smetana Quartet headlines the roster of three fine ensembles, with a very impressive performance by the Škampa foursome on the Janáček pieces.

- Kuznik

Three Fragments from the Opera Juliette

Magdalena Kožená

Steve Davislim

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

Sir Charles Mackerras

(Supraphon)

The 2009 Martinů anniversary year officially opened at the Rudolfinum last December with a star-studded performance of excerpts from one of the composer's favorite works, captured live on this disc. The fragment form, prepared by Martinů as a vocal-orchestral cross-section of the work, sounds a bit disjointed, often cinematic in tone and structure. The singing on this recording is robust, uniformly strong though with no particular standouts. The real revelation is in the way Mackerras handles Martinů - brilliantly. Though American-born, Mackerras is a specialist in the Czech repertoire, particularly Janáček and Martinů. It shows in his outstanding work on this disc, drawing a smart, expressive performance from the orchestra. A winner of several noteworthy awards, including Disc of the Month in Opera magazine.

- Kuznik

Jacob

Missa Dei Filii

Capella Regia Praha

Robert Hugo

(Supraphon)

Whatever Robert Hugo's Baroque ensembles may lack in precision, they more than make up for in energy, which practically explodes from this bracing disc, recently named an Editor's Choice in Gramophone magazine. Václav Gunther Jacob was one of the most popular composers in the Czech lands in the early 18th century, and his highly original style is showcased beautifully in his Missa Dei Filii. Recorded at Břevnov Monastery on period instruments, the performance is bright and crisp from the very first notes, swelling to a full emotional warmth that is maintained beautifully throughout. A rousing performance, brilliant interpretation and sterling example of how early music can be re-created with contemporary intelligence and devotion.

- Kuznik

Recollection

Martina Janková

Gérard Wyss

(Supraphon)

Magdalena Kožená may be the best-known expat Czech soprano, but Janková is every bit her equal, if not better in some respects. This disc reprises Janková's 2009 Prague Spring concert with Swiss pianist Wyss, singing miniatures and adaptations of Scottish and Welsh folk songs by Joseph Haydn. The pieces are lovely, ranging in tone from elegiac to lyrical to playful, and Janková's warm, round voice brings them to life with clarity and sensitivity. The piano and voice lines are complementary and deceptively simple, but Janková and Wyss find subtle and interesting nuances in the music. Accessible and, for those who don't know her, a captivating introduction to a great singer.

- Kuznik

Zelenka

Missa Votiva

I Penitenti al Sepolcro del Redentore

Collegium 1704

Václav Luks

(Sablé)

You will not hear finer, more faithful performances of Baroque music than these two recordings for the French classical label. Czech composer Jan Dismas Zelenka wrote music in the late 1700s and early 1800s that still sounds fresh and vibrant today, realized with verve and elegance on these discs. Missa Votiva is a full Mass in five sections, with heavenly choral sections framing ripe, delicate solo vocals. I Penitenti, an oratorio based on biblical stories, is less bright but more demanding musically, written for virtuoso players in a dazzling variety of dynamics. After listening to these superlative recordings, it's clear why Supraphon is trying to sign Václav Luks and his ensemble, and why the National Theater enlisted them for its production of Rinaldo and the 2010 Mozart birthday concert.

- Kuznik

Dvořák Miniatures

Suk Piano Quartet

Josef Suk

(Supraphon)

Listening to Josef Suk play the violin is like stepping back in time to an era of stately, graceful style, disciplined technique and unabashed romanticism. Now 80, Suk rarely performs but still practices every day, and was reportedly the first one to arrive - early - for these recording sessions. With well-informed accompaniment by Miroslav Ambroš on violin, Karel Untermüller on viola, Jiří Bárta on cello and Jan Simon on harmonium and piano, Suk gives definitive readings of short pieces by Dvořák, chamber works that were popular in 19th-century salons, and an early sonata by his grandfather. They sounded good when the group played them at Prague Spring in 2008, and they sound even better here.

- Kuznik

Rorate Coeli

Music for Advent and Christmas in Baroque Prague

Collegium Marianum

(Supraphon)

Another in Supraphon's series of music from 18th-century Prague, this time featuring the outstanding Collegium Marianum ensemble, known for its exquisite renditions of early music not just in Prague but throughout Europe. The selections are almost entirely liturgical and range from solemn to joyous. But the Christmas spirit is clear and ringing throughout, even for listeners coming to this material for the first time. As always, the musical performance is excellent, but the vocals on this recording, from a quartet of Baroque specialists, are particularly good. And there's a special treat: a performance of Adeste Fidelis on the Loreto carillon.

- Kuznik

Martinů, Foerster, Novák

Cello Concertos

Jiří Bárta

Prague Philharmonia

Jakub Hrůša

Another Editor's Choice in Gramophone magazine, with Bárta turning in his usual thoughtful, even soulful, work on a trio of interesting Czech pieces. But, for those of us lucky enough to hear him live on a regular basis, the real points of interest are the conducting work of young Jakub Hrůša, who shows an impressive command of the material and sure touch with the orchestra, and the final piece, a capriccio by Novák. Composed in 1958-59, it reflects the composer's fascination with jazz after a visit to the United States. Syncopated rhythms and extensive use of clarinets, saxophones and percussion - there's even a drum solo - make this piece a surprise and delight, worth the price of the disc by itself.

- Kuznik

ROCK

A Tribute to Oldřich Janota

Various Artists

(Indies Scope)

A Czech folk-rock legend from the 1970s, Janota still gives concerts - in historic castle ruins, or underneath urban trees about to be cleared for construction. Long known as a musician's musician who pushed the folk idiom into avant-classical realms, Janota is a fitting subject for a tribute by some of the most accomplished and creative music acts on the Czech scene today. The groups paying respect here range from Moravian folk interpreters Tomáš Kočko and Stanislav Gabriel to the prog-rock maestros Fru Fru and Maraca. Highlights on the disc include Jablkoň's chamber-jazz-pop cover of Janota's Ztracený ve světě (Lost in the World) and Traband's ponderous bass guitar and harmonium rendering of Druhý břeh (The Other Bank).

- Jónsson

More

Sporto

(Vinyl or MP3 download from Starcastic)

Since 2007, the momentous electro spirit of Sporto has been broadcast throughout the region via freely available MP3 downloads and a relentless touring schedule. Their debut commercial release comes on an audiophile, 180-gram vinyl LP. Guest appearances by guitarist Aran Epochal from the post-rock unit Gnu and the Slovak rappers Lyric and Del make this an exciting representative of regional trends. Whatever the format, Sporto produces infectious electro-trance mixed with post-punk sensibilities. It's a road-tested fusion that has made this band a perennial stage favorite throughout the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

- Jónsson

FOLK-ROCK

Tapas

BraAgas

(Indies Scope)

The Czech Republic has no shortage of bands and solo artists combining folk music with newer forms. But, with the exception of the Roma community, there is a severe vacuum of artists willing to jump the conservatoire approach for the healthy thrill of revelry. Into that gap comes this female quartet, picking up bagpipes, guitars, shawms, mandolins and tambourines, and combining their voices and energies toward a youthful, animated musical vision. While their sound rests firmly in the wider Balkan echoes of Roma music, the band also makes direct nods to the dynamic music of Al-Andalucia and Scandinavian folk-rock revivalists Garmana and Värttinä. And they put it all together with a unique Czech drum beat.

- Jónsson

All Star Refjúdží Band

Spas!

(Indies MG)

If Dixieland was connected to Kurdistan by an easy-to-navigate waterway, Prague's All Star Refjúdží would be its definitive good-time riverboat band. Their performances over the past year, a heady mix of Czech brass, Kurdish oud strumming and Chinese lead vocals, have been one surreal musical party, to say the least. A musical product of the emerging Central European urban cosmopolitan experience, the group sings of the newly found freedoms and frustrations of their migratory destinations while avoiding the pitfalls of bland nostalgia. See this band live if you can. Until then, this disc offers a blast of musical sunshine sufficient to brighten any wintertime mood.

- Jónsson

FOLK

Ballades de Prague

Vladimír Merta

(Disques Vogue, 1969 / Galen CZ, 2009)

Originally recorded in Paris during the tumultuous year of 1968, this album paid justice to both the urban folk trends of the era and the better traditions of Czech music. To draw a '60s comparison, Merta shared Donovan's detour from the secondhand Woody Guthrie mold by borrowing from native influences - in Merta's case, childhood musical memories updated with mature arrangements of recorders, 12-string guitars and voice. With its urgent poetic language, spiced with the integrity of historical music, it's easy to see why the discerning ears of Parisian record executives saw fit to make this work available to a wider listening market. Even if you don't understand Czech, Merta's classic album transmits a love for Prague that speaks to anyone willing to listen.

- Jónsson

JAZZ

Libido Trip

Nejtek, Tichý, Smetáček

(Guerilla Records)

An exiting development on the jazz scene this year was the formation of this power trio, drawn from Czech rock, jazz and contemporary classical music circles. As this ensemble demonstrated at the Stimul Festival in November, they are fully equipped to lend a welcome update to Czech jazz. Drummer Štepán Smetáček, known for his big-band work with the New Orchestra of Dreams, also draws on avant-garde and heavy metal inspirations. Nejtek is a well-known contemporary composer and keyboard player with the Agon Orchestra. They share a proven capacity in progressive rock and jazz with contrabassist Petr Tichý, a veteran electro-jazz-soul group Alvik. The tasteful use of electronics is what brings this trio into the 21st century.

- Jónsson

Joy for Joel

Beata Hlavenková

(Animal Music)

Hlavenková's decision to record her second solo CD in New York City was a very smooth jazz move. Working against the trend of self-referential Euro-jazz, this disc combines creative sonority and muscle from both continents. Adding to Hlavenková's wide keyboard vocabulary are the saxophone work of veteran sideman Rick Perry (Lee Konitz, George Mraz) and the lyrical trumpet of Canadian Ingrid Jensen (Gary Bartz and Clark Terry). In another bold leap, Hlavenková makes seamless use of New Orleans pedal steel guitar player Dave Easley on four of the tracks, with Czech vocalist Lenka Dusilová making an appearance on two others. The end result is convincing ensemble work and pleasant listening for anyone who enjoys the international currency of full-bodied jazz.

- Jónsson

CONTEMPORARY

Magora Summa

Agon Orchestra and Ivan Magor Jirous

(Guerilla Records)

Jirous, an underground provocateur and poet, has teamed with Prague's longstanding modern music ensemble to produce a beautiful and sophisticated 21st-century work. With Jirous' voice sculpted into the compositions, by way of sublime methods echoing the futurist moments of Luigi Nono or Luciano Berio, this is a model of how spoken word should be done. Familiar points of reference; think of Jim Morrison's "American Prayer," or the jazz collaboration of Carla Bley and Paul Haines, Escalator Over the Hill. Musically, what Agon and Magor have done here is something far more transcendent, a successful remarriage of the lost unity between voice and music in Western tradition. The minimalism and electronics are never overdone, and an appearance by accordionist Jana Vébrová on the opening and closing tracks adds a sublime balance.

- Jónsson