Zdenek Fibich - A Lesser-Known But Worthy Czech Composer

Started by Superhorn, October 14, 2008, 08:01:18 AM

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Brian

Quote from: North Star on March 11, 2013, 09:16:29 AM
And as for Czech composer recommendations, Zelenka, Dvorak, and Janacek are definitely the big four.
Since you wrote "the big four" I assume you left out Smetana? Or was it Suk or Martinu?  ;)

North Star

Quote from: Brian on March 11, 2013, 09:29:53 AM
Since you wrote "the big four" I assume you left out Smetana? Or was it Suk or Martinu?  ;)
Any of those guys ;)
Martinu, really, but he's not among the most likely ones to be recommended first. But Moldau and Bartered Bride are certainly worthy stuff, too. And Suk, certainly. But I'd say there are really only three big ones, and then these three.
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Brian

Got an email from Naxos this morning saying they are actually recording all of Fibich's orchestral works, and the project will encompass 8 CDs.

SonicMan46

#23
Well, TTT!  :D   Has been nearly 18 months since the last posts were made to this thread - I now have 4 discs of Fibich's music (the SQs shown previously) and the 3 additional ones below (on top) - appears that Naxos is indeed adding slowly to his orchestral output checking on Amazon.

SO, wondering if there are any comments on the Naxos release of the Symphonic Poems (bottom, left)?  I'm also wondering about Radoslav Kvapil in the piano music ($8 MP3 DL from Classicsonline) - there is just some minor overlap (7 tracks) w/ the other piano CD that I own.  And yet another consideration, i.e. Piano Quartet/Quintet (which includes clarinet & horn) - however, pricing is a little outrageous on the Amazon MP and is not available at Classicsonline?  Thanks all! Dave :)

   

   

Brian

Actually Dave, out of the three Naxos releases so far (Symphonies 1 & 2, then the Symphonic Poems), the symphonic poems CD has impressed me the most. There is some catchy music there, and it's more concise than the symphonies. Plus, the orchestra and conductor seem to be improving as they get acclimated to the composer - in the Symphony No. 1 I wasn't too impressed.

Do you have the violin sonatas CD with Josef Suk, on Supraphon?

SonicMan46

Quote from: Brian on August 08, 2014, 12:37:28 PM
Actually Dave, out of the three Naxos releases so far (Symphonies 1 & 2, then the Symphonic Poems), the symphonic poems CD has impressed me the most. There is some catchy music there, and it's more concise than the symphonies. Plus, the orchestra and conductor seem to be improving as they get acclimated to the composer - in the Symphony No. 1 I wasn't too impressed.

Do you have the violin sonatas CD with Josef Suk, on Supraphon?

Hi Brian - I have just those top 3 CDs in my recent post (plus the String Quartets) - about an hour ago I did purchase the piano music recording shown on the bottom row of images (MP3 DL from Classicsonline), burned to CD-R and listening now - quite enjoyable.

I'll order the Symphonic Poems from the Amazon MP and I'd love to somehow obtain that MDG recording but just not available at a decent price.

As to the Violin Sonatas, do you mean the CD below - available for $11 on the Amazon MP - do you like it?  Dave :)


Brian

That's the one I mean! I don't have it, but I just saw this ClassicsToday 10/10 review and got interested:

"The disc opens with the bright, tuneful Sonatina, a piece remarkable for having been composed in a single day, and for the major/minor mode interplay that's a distinctive feature of so much Czech music. The four-movement Sonata in D, the most substantial work here, begins with a slow, quasi-fugal introduction which, after returning at the start of the finale, opens up into a delightful Polonaise. Fibich was fond of this dance form, and composed an even grander version in the Concert Polonaise of 1878. The remaining works, the Romance, Song without Words, and Clear Night all share the same warm, home-spun quality that makes Fibich's music so comforting. Violinist par excellence Josef Suk gives tour-de-force performances of his countryman's compositions, and he's smartly partnered by the sensitive and stylish playing of Josef Hála at the piano. Supraphon's excellent sound provides the icing on the cake."

SonicMan46

Well, that review of the violin & piano music piqued my interest!  :)

So, I looked for some more reviews and found a couple, one from Fanfare 2001 & another from BBC Magazine (both are in a single PDF file attached for those who may be interested).  There are two recent 5* reviews on Amazon, but I'm assuming that this was recorded before 2001 and maybe re-released - not sure?  Also the timing is listed as only 51 minutes - hmmm?  Think that hold off for the moment - Dave


Scion7

"After Smetana and Dvorák he was the most prominent Czech composer of the second half of the 19th century..." - The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians

"Fibich was the third of the leading Czech composers of the last half of the nineteenth century, after Smetana and Dvorák." - AllMusic Classical Archives


Chamber Music
===============================

Instruktivní sonatina, d, vn, pf, op.27, 1869 (1877)
Piano Trio, f, 1872 (1908)
Jasná noc [Clear Night] (Andantino), vn, pf, 1873, Mlady houslista (n.d.), in Sbírka populárních skladeb (n.d.)
Piano Quartet, e, op.11, 1874 (1880)
String Quartet, A, 1874, SV
Sonata, C, vn, pf, 1874
Sonata, D, vn, pf, 1875, SV
Koncertní polonesa [Concert Polonaise], vn, pf, 1878, ed. N. Kubát (1922)
String Quartet, G, op.8, 1878 (1879)
Romance, B, vn, pf, op.10, 1879, Dalibor, ii (1880), suppl.
Selanka [Idyll], cl/vn, pf, op.16, 1879 (1883 or 1884)
Tema con variazioni, B, 2 vn, va, vc, 1883, parts (1910) [rev. and enlarged transcr. of Variations, pf, 1877]
Quintet, D, pf, cl, hn, vn, vc, op.42, 1893 (1895), arr. pf 4 hands by A. Schulzová (1896)
Other works: c20 works lost or destroyed, incl. Balada, vc, pf, 1874, Vánoní [Christmas], sonata, ?1878, several canons for various combinations; Allegro grazioso, vc, pf, 1876, used in syms. in G and e;
Pf Trio, E, 1876, used in Sym. no.2, op.38;
several works transcr. for pf in Nálady, dojmy a upomínky, 1892–9

First wife and both children died, married one of her sisters, left 2nd wife for one of his pupils, died abruptly of kidney failure.
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."

SonicMan46

Quote from: Scion7 on August 09, 2014, 12:43:15 AM
"After Smetana and Dvorák he was the most prominent Czech composer of the second half of the 19th century..." - The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians

"Fibich was the third of the leading Czech composers of the last half of the nineteenth century, after Smetana and Dvorák." - AllMusic Classical Archives


Thanks Scion7 for the additional information - I found a nice summary biography HERE which included the two images shown below; Wiki Bio is also a concise review of his life.

In addition, there is a thematic catalog of his works by Vladimír Hudec (Prague, 2001), hence the H. designation HERE - if he had lived another 20 years?  Dave :)

 

torut

Quote from: SonicMan46 on August 08, 2014, 01:02:41 PM
[...] I'd love to somehow obtain that MDG recording but just not available at a decent price.
The MDG album is available at Google Play Store for $9.49. It seems MDG provides mp3 albums only at Google Play.

I only have the string quartets by Panocha Quartet that I like very much. Nice, pleasant music.

SonicMan46

Quote from: torut on August 09, 2014, 08:40:04 AM
The MDG album is available at Google Play Store for $9.49. It seems MDG provides mp3 albums only at Google Play.

I only have the string quartets by Panocha Quartet that I like very much. Nice, pleasant music.

Hello Torut - thank you for that link; I've never used the Google Play Store but will certainly take a look.  Actually, I just did a MP3 DL from Amazon of the same works but on Supraphon w/ the Panocha Quartet (+ 2 others for the winds) - cover art below and attached PDF from a Fanfare review - just burned to CD-R and about to come up on my den stereo - expect to enjoy w/ that group - and just listened to the SQs CD myself which I also like.  Dave :)


SonicMan46

#32
Fibich TTT! Hard to believe that I made the last post here over 5 years ago -  ???  Since that time I've acquired a few more CDs:

Fibich, Zdenek (1850-1900) - currently own the 8 recordings below (2 are MP3 CD-Rs) - Marek Stilec has conducted at least 4 discs for Naxos; a number of pianists have tackled his 'Moods, Impressions & Souvenirs', including Marián Lapsansky and Radoslav Kvapil - he was prolific in many genres for his 50 years and studied mainly outside his Bohemian homeland, so more Germanic influence that the Czech nationalism seen in Smetana and Dvorak (Source); long list of his compositions HERE - don't feel a need to explore his piano works unless a compilation appears - BUT comments, suggestions, etc. appreciated.  Dave

     

     

Pohjolas Daughter

Quote from: SonicMan46 on February 14, 2020, 09:19:02 AM
Fibich TTT! Hard to believe that I made the last post here over 5 years ago -  ???  Since that time I've acquired a few more CDs:

Fibich, Zdenek (1850-1900) - currently own the 8 recordings below (2 are MP3 CD-Rs) - Marek Stilec has conducted at least 4 discs for Naxos; a number of pianists have tackled his 'Moods, Impressions & Souvenirs', including Marián Lapsansky and Radoslav Kvapil - he was prolific in many genres for his 50 years and studied mainly outside his Bohemian homeland, so more Germanic influence that the Czech nationalism seen in Smetana and Dvorak (Source); long list of his compositions HERE - don't feel a need to explore his piano works unless a compilation appears - BUT comments, suggestions, etc. appreciated.  Dave

     

     
Nice to see a thread on Fibich!   8)

I hadn't realized that he had written some symphonies, but am interested in listening them (perhaps try youtube or interlibrary loan?).  The only recording (as far as I can recall) that I have of his is his first quartet.  I have it on an excellent set of quartets by various Czech composers with the later iteration of the Talich Quartet on Calliope (not certain whether or not it is currently in print).

Nice to hear that you are enjoying your journey!   :)

Best wishes,

PD
Pohjolas Daughter

SonicMan46

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on February 14, 2020, 12:25:42 PM
Nice to see a thread on Fibich!   8)

I hadn't realized that he had written some symphonies, but am interested in listening them (perhaps try youtube or interlibrary loan?).  The only recording (as far as I can recall) that I have of his is his first quartet.  I have it on an excellent set of quartets by various Czech composers with the later iteration of the Talich Quartet on Calliope (not certain whether or not it is currently in print).

Nice to hear that you are enjoying your journey!   :)


Hi PD - thanks for the comments - I had forgotten how nice his piano music sounded when played well - have only 2 discs w/ some overlap; on Spotify, I saw that Marian Lapsansky has recorded 12 volumes of Fibich's music - WOW!  And no 'box' is available that I can determine.  There is also a Violin Sonatas recording that has been well reviewed (both shown below).  Dave

 

Symphonic Addict

I've heard that the Supraphon recordings of the symphonies are the ones to get, but I think the Chandos recordings are up to the standards too. In addition, that CD of the string quartets is lovely. They have a rustic flavour I find enchanting.
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SonicMan46

Well, TTT after nearly two years!  :laugh:

Yesterday, I was listening to my small (maybe 10 CDs) Fibich collection - left a couple of quotes in the listening thread, the second one on his piano music quoted below. Of the 'collections', Marian Lapsansky recorded 12 volumes (some shown in the quote) and immediately below a Spotify playlist that I setup this morning w/ cover art of these rather alluring women - now he wrote these Moods, Impressions, & Reminiscences in the 1890s during his love affair w/ a former student, Anežka Schulzová; supposedly these short pieces represent various aspects of this active and contemplative affair.  SO, I was curious who the painter of these pictures might be - I don't recognize the style although similar ones certainly exist - does anyone who may own one or more of these physical discs have a booklet that indicates the artist?  TIA -  Dave :)



Quote from: SonicMan46 on September 02, 2021, 01:28:32 PM
Fibich, Zdenek (1850-1900) - Moods, Impressions & Souvenirs; Reminiscences & Paintings w/ William Howard & Radoslav Kvapil - these are miniature piano works (a few minutes or less) listed as Op. 41, 44, 47, 57 (click on bottom chart - Source) - there are a total of 376 pieces; the Howard recording contains just over 3 dozen from Op. 41; the Kvapil (a MP3 DL) is a mix, half of which are from Op. 41 w/ just 6 or so duplications.  NOW, the middle row shows just 3 of 12 CDs recorded by Marian Lapsansky, so there is certainly a LOT more Fibich piano music available to hear; BTW, these latter recordings are available on Spotify (not sure that I want to make a playlist!  :laugh:) - Dave

 

   



SonicMan46

Concerning the 'cover art' on the Lapsansky CDs, the other similar pics that came to mind were on several John McEwen SQ discs shown below; however, the artists for those paintings were William Bouguereau (19th century French) & Henrietta Rae (English late Victorian) - must have been a bunch of similar 'little known' painters around then or possibly a 20th century one imitating the style?  Sorry, but my wonderful art history classes from my long past undergrad years at the U of Michigan return to haunt me on occasion -  8)  Dave

 

Pohjolas Daughter

Quote from: SonicMan46 on September 03, 2021, 08:48:26 AM
Concerning the 'cover art' on the Lapsansky CDs, the other similar pics that came to mind were on several John McEwen SQ discs shown below; however, the artists for those paintings were William Bouguereau (19th century French) & Henrietta Rae (English late Victorian) - must have been a bunch of similar 'little known' painters around then or possibly a 20th century one imitating the style?  Sorry, but my wonderful art history classes from my long past undergrad years at the U of Michigan return to haunt me on occasion -  8)  Dave
Dave,

Have you tried taking a screen shot of the images and then using them to do a google search?  If not, you might do best trying to crop the images a bit so that you don't get the Chandos cover images coming up?  Might not make a difference though.

PD

p.s.  And only 10?  That sounds like a goodly amount of a lessor-known composer to me.  ;)
Pohjolas Daughter

SonicMan46

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on September 03, 2021, 09:14:38 AM
Dave,

Have you tried taking a screen shot of the images and then using them to do a google search?  If not, you might do best trying to crop the images a bit so that you don't get the Chandos cover images coming up?  Might not make a difference though.

PD

p.s.  And only 10?  That sounds like a goodly amount of a lessor-known composer to me.  ;)

Hi PD - thanks, but already gave Google Images a try w/ a cropped image - came up w/ just one hit, i.e. the cover art from the CD - need someone w/ the booklet I guess who could find the answer?  As to only 10 CDs, Fibich was a good composer and one can only wonder what more of interest he might have composed if he had lived another 10-20 years or so?  Dave :)