Vitezslaw Novak (1870-1949)

Started by vandermolen, June 01, 2007, 07:44:07 AM

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madaboutmahler

I can't remember whether I've asked before or not, John.... what do you think of Novak? He's a composer whose music I love very much! :)

Quote from: vandermolen on September 30, 2012, 01:48:08 AM
The Christchild's Lullaby from the Eight Nocturnes
I really share your enthusiasm for that little piece, Jeffrey. So beautiful! :)
"Music is ... A higher revelation than all Wisdom & Philosophy"
— Ludwig van Beethoven

Mirror Image

Quote from: madaboutmahler on October 01, 2012, 10:49:23 AMI can't remember whether I've asked before or not, John.... what do you think of Novak? He's a composer whose music I love very much! :)

I like Novak a good bit. He's not a favorite, but he wrote some good music. I only own two recordings of his music both with Pesek conducting.

vandermolen

Quote from: Mirror Image on October 01, 2012, 10:36:20 AM
Didn't know this recording existed, Jeffrey. Thanks for mentioning it! 8)

My pleasure John - the CD would be a great introduction to Novak - all three works are very good and Christchild's Lullaby, as Daniel says, is quite beautiful.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

madaboutmahler

Quote from: Mirror Image on October 01, 2012, 07:33:35 PM
I like Novak a good bit. He's not a favorite, but he wrote some good music. I only own two recordings of his music both with Pesek conducting.

Glad to hear that, John. The Chandos Pesek disc is a highly cherished disc in my collection! :)
"Music is ... A higher revelation than all Wisdom & Philosophy"
— Ludwig van Beethoven

Mirror Image

Quote from: madaboutmahler on October 02, 2012, 11:06:23 AM
Glad to hear that, John. The Chandos Pesek disc is a highly cherished disc in my collection! :)

You should hear this one, Daniel:



An excellent recording and my introduction to Novak's music.

madaboutmahler

I would, John! I'm sure it would be great. Unfortunately, it seems to be selling for a terrible price on amazon.... if I see it for a reasonable price, I would be very keen to get it! :)
"Music is ... A higher revelation than all Wisdom & Philosophy"
— Ludwig van Beethoven

Mirror Image

Quote from: madaboutmahler on October 02, 2012, 12:55:54 PM
I would, John! I'm sure it would be great. Unfortunately, it seems to be selling for a terrible price on amazon.... if I see it for a reasonable price, I would be very keen to get it! :)

Yeah, it's a good one, Daniel, but, you're right, it's going for some incredibly high prices now.

Lisztianwagner

Quote from: Mirror Image on October 02, 2012, 12:48:44 PM


An excellent recording and my introduction to Novak's music.

It looks beautiful, indeed; Pesek is a great interpreter of this music, at least thinking about his recordings of Lady Godiva, Toman and the Wood Nymph and De Profundis. I really need to get more Novak's music!
"Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire." - Gustav Mahler

Mirror Image

Quote from: Lisztianwagner on October 02, 2012, 01:05:47 PM
It looks beautiful, indeed; Pesek is a great interpreter of this music, at least thinking about his recordings of Lady Godiva, Toman and the Wood Nymph and De Profundis. I really need to get more Novak's music!

As I wrote above, Novak wrote some good music I think but he's not a favorite of mine. The reality is I love music that has a more of an edge to it, which is why I have started getting back into Honegger and explains how my Delius phase has quickly faded out. I'll be back into Shostakovich again before the year is out. :D You can't escape what you truly love.

vandermolen

Quote from: Mirror Image on October 02, 2012, 01:20:49 PM
As I wrote above, Novak wrote some good music I think but he's not a favorite of mine. The reality is I love music that has a more of an edge to it, which is why I have started getting back into Honegger and explains how my Delius phase has quickly faded out. I'll be back into Shostakovich again before the year is out. :D You can't escape what you truly love.

Do you know Novak's 'The Storm' John?  His masterpiece I think and I believe that it does have an edge to it.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Lisztianwagner

Quote from: Mirror Image on October 02, 2012, 01:20:49 PM
As I wrote above, Novak wrote some good music I think but he's not a favorite of mine. The reality is I love music that has a more of an edge to it, which is why I have started getting back into Honegger and explains how my Delius phase has quickly faded out. I'll be back into Shostakovich again before the year is out. :D You can't escape what you truly love.

I share the feeling, it inevitably attracts us and we could never do without it. :) Although I haven't listened to many of his compositions, I may certainly include Novak among my favourite composers, because I absolutely love what I've heard so far; such impressive, thrilling and hauntingly beautiful music! Apart from Lady Godiva, Toman and the Wood Nymph and De Profundis that I mentioned before, my favourite Novak's works are Autumn Symphony, Eternal Longing, Pan and the Slovak Suite.
"Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire." - Gustav Mahler

Daverz

Quote from: vandermolen on September 30, 2012, 01:48:08 AM
[asin]B008OHV4WE[/asin]

Here's another CD with the South Bohemian Suite.  Good sound.


Fafner

#72
Quote from: Fafner on March 05, 2013, 11:16:09 AM
Vítězslav Novák - Slovácko Suite
Czech PO & Choir
Václav Talich


This is the first time I listened to Novák since my school years. The music is beautiful. I must definitely find and listen to more of his works.
"Remember Fafner? Remember he built Valhalla? A giant? Well, he's a dragon now. Don't ask me why. Anyway, he's dead."
   --- Anna Russell

vandermolen

Quote from: Fafner on March 05, 2013, 01:39:45 PM
This is the first time I listened to Novák since my school years. The music is beautiful. I must definitely find and listen to more of his works.

Try 'In the Tatras' and the South Bohemian Suite - both fine works.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Scion7

Quote from: vandermolen on June 01, 2007, 07:44:07 AM
Any other admirers of this great Czech composer?

Yes.   :)  He was a decent composer of Chamber music:

Sonata, d, vn, pf, 1891;
Pf Trio, g, op.1, 1892;
Pf Qt, c, op.7, 1894, rev.1899;
Pf Qnt, a, op.12, 1896, rev. 1897;
Str Qt, G, op.22, 1899;
Pf Trio quasi una ballata, d, op.27, 1902;
Str Qt, D, op.35, 1905;
Str Qt, G, op.66, 1938;
Sonata, op.68, vc, pf, 1941
Pf: Variace na Schumannovo téma, 1893;
Balada, e, op.2, after Byron: Manfred, 1893;
Vzpomínky [Reminiscences], op.6, 1894;
Serenády, op.9, 1895;
Barkaroly, op.10, 1896;
Eklogy, op.11, 1896; Za soumraku [At Dusk], op.13, 4 pieces, 1896;
Muj máj [My May], op.20, 4 pieces, 1899;
Sonata eroica, op.24, 1900;
Písne zimních nocí [Songs of a Winter Night], op.30, 4 pieces, 1903;
2 valasské tance [2 Valassko dances], op.34, 1904;
Pan, op.43, tone poem, 5 movts, 1910;
Exoticon, op.45, short suite, 1911;
6 Sonatinas, op.54, 1919–20;
Mládí [Youth], op.55, 2 vols., 1920
Short pf pieces, pf duets, 1 early org work, kbd arrs. orch works

He went thru various phases (like most composers do) and went from conservative to modernist in the early-middle period, then reactionary due to being attacked by critics.  So his music usually has "an edge" to it - especially during the late 19th century when his blood-feud with rivals and arch-critics was going on.  I wish more of this was available, either on record/CD or radio broadcasts.

When, a few months before his death, Rachmaninov lamented that he no longer had the "strength and fire" to compose, friends reminded him of the Symphonic Dances, so charged with fire and strength. "Yes," he admitted. "I don't know how that happened. That was probably my last flicker."

vandermolen

I think that his masterpiece is 'The Storm' - I wish there was a new recording of it. It is an oratorio which arrives at a great spiritual catharsis after epic tribulations and is one of my favourite works. There are two older recordings on Supraphon, but they are now absurdly priced on Amazon.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

relm1

Quote from: vandermolen on July 30, 2014, 10:50:22 PM
I think that his masterpiece is 'The Storm' - I wish there was a new recording of it. It is an oratorio which arrives at a great spiritual catharsis after epic tribulations and is one of my favourite works. There are two older recordings on Supraphon, but they are now absurdly priced on Amazon.

Agreed, a wonderful work much like Vaughan Williams's contemporaneous sea symphony.  Really wonderful music full of spirit and gusto!

vandermolen

Quote from: relm1 on August 02, 2014, 04:04:42 AM
Agreed, a wonderful work much like Vaughan Williams's contemporaneous sea symphony.  Really wonderful music full of spirit and gusto!

Glad you like it too. Although I am a huge admirer of VW I think that Novak's 'The Storm' is a superior work to a 'Sea Symphony' although I recently come to appreciate the latter. The best music is definitely in the last movement.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

SonicMan46

Well, I was reading through this thread in the morning and decided to join!  :)

I had nothing by this composer (but recently added Fibich CDs to my collection of Czech composers), so just did a MP3 DL and burned a CD-R of one of his String Quartets and the Piano Quintet; in addition just put in an Amazon order (one Prime & two from the MP w/ one being used) of the other discs shown below; also wanted the Slovak Suite but the pricing was ridiculous.  Dave

 

 

vandermolen

#79
Quote from: SonicMan46 on August 02, 2014, 10:29:30 AM
Well, I was reading through this thread in the morning and decided to join!  :)

I had nothing by this composer (but recently added Fibich CDs to my collection of Czech composers), so just did a MP3 DL and burned a CD-R of one of his String Quartets and the Piano Quintet; in addition just put in an Amazon order (one Prime & two from the MP w/ one being used) of the other discs shown below; also wanted the Slovak Suite but the pricing was ridiculous.  Dave

 

 

All great choices. I especially like the Piano Quintet and De Profundis written during the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia and moving from despair to hope - a wonderful work. You would, I think, also like the tone poem 'In the Tatras' which reflects a spiritual journey as well as depicting the Tatra Mountains in their various moods (Novak was a keen mountain climber). The South Bohemian Suite is another favourite which I prefer to the more famous Slovak Suite. Let us know what you think.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).