Janacek Unknown

EAN/UPC/ISBN Code 99925187828


Manufacture Supraphon Sp

Manufacture Country Czech Republic

This cataloger"s nightmare of a disc contains 18 works, movements, or parts of movements by Jan´cek for a bewildering variety of musicians, both instrumentalists and singers. It"s obviously designed for the Jan´cek-lover who has everything, but because Jan´cek was not outstandingly prolific, there are plenty of us who want to hear every scrap we can get by this fascinating composer. The promise of hearing some of Jan´cek"s piano music--the original versions were for harmonium--played on the composer"s own instrument is quickly nullified by the deteriorated state of the instrument. But excerpts from two major operas, eliminated from the final versions, are well worth the price of the disc for the specialist collector. --Leslie Gerber