Your favorite Supraphon recordings

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Delivered way above expectations. Nothing routine, unlike some other performance/recordings of the period. 

Edit: https://youtu.be/qXpUCV_5Jys?si=_yxIiQMlEy_9n1HL

Sounds wonderful!

[Irons]

Britten must have the biggest footprint in the Supraphon discography of British composers. Far more then the likes of Elgar and RVW for example. The Bridge Variations is an important work and this issue is up against some big hitters.



Josef Vlach an important figure in Czech musical life midway through the last century. Not only leader of his eponymous string quartet, also as here, leading various chamber orchestras.
My imprint of the Bridge Variations is the excellent Argo recording with Marriner and his band. Vlach is a completely different kettle of fish, less spikey and more nuanced. Fully aware different does not acquaint with better. However, I found Vlach refreshing even if not my first choice.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Britten must have the biggest footprint in the Supraphon discography of British composers. Far more then the likes of Elgar and RVW for example. The Bridge Variations is an important work and this issue is up against some big hitters.



Josef Vlach an important figure in Czech musical life midway through the last century. Not only leader of his eponymous string quartet, also as here, leading various chamber orchestras.
My imprint of the Bridge Variations is the excellent Argo recording with Marriner and his band. Vlach is a completely different kettle of fish, less spikey and more nuanced. Fully aware different does not acquaint with better. However, I found Vlach refreshing even if not my first choice.

I found both the works in the compilation below. They sound very good!  There are other interesting works in the recording as well.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

I guess Panton is a subsidiary of Supraphone? Marcel Tournier's works played by Kateřina Englichová sound nice!

[Brian]

I found both the works in the compilation below. They sound very good!  There are other interesting works in the recording as well.

I own this box and agree that every performance in it can be recommended!

[Irons]

I own this box and agree that every performance in it can be recommended!

I listened to Vlach's recording of Dvorak's Serenade for String Orchestra and thought it lovely.

 

[Kalevala]

Something else to go on my wish list....

K

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

I guess Panton is a subsidiary of Supraphone? Marcel Tournier's works played by Kateřina Englichová sound nice!

I found this on Discogs --- worth a read if you're interested in Panton's recorded history:

The full company name was initially "Panton, nakladatelství Svazu československých skladatelů" ("Panton, the publishing house of the Czechoslovak Composers Association"), later "Panton, vydavatelství Českého hudebního fondu" ("Panton, publishers for the Czech Music Fund"). From 1967 until ca. 2000, Panton as a record label was releasing domestic recordings of all genres: classical music, pop, rock, jazz, folk, brass music, or spoken word. Among others, particularly noteworthy are the Mini Jazz Klub series of forty-five 7" EPs, released between 1976 and 1986.
After 1996 the label was owned by Bonton Music a.s. Presently the Panton catalogue is owned by Supraphon a.s., with the exception of recordings originally produced at Československý Rozhlas which are owned by Český Rozhlas.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

I found this on Discogs --- worth a read if you're interested in Panton's recorded history:

The full company name was initially "Panton, nakladatelství Svazu československých skladatelů" ("Panton, the publishing house of the Czechoslovak Composers Association"), later "Panton, vydavatelství Českého hudebního fondu" ("Panton, publishers for the Czech Music Fund"). From 1967 until ca. 2000, Panton as a record label was releasing domestic recordings of all genres: classical music, pop, rock, jazz, folk, brass music, or spoken word. Among others, particularly noteworthy are the Mini Jazz Klub series of forty-five 7" EPs, released between 1976 and 1986.
After 1996 the label was owned by Bonton Music a.s. Presently the Panton catalogue is owned by Supraphon a.s., with the exception of recordings originally produced at Československý Rozhlas which are owned by Český Rozhlas.

Ok, your explanation makes sense. I will explore the recordings done by Panton.

[Der lächelnde Schatten]

Ok, your explanation makes sense. I will explore the recordings done by Panton.

Let me know what you find, Manabu. I think I've got only one Panton issue and it's a Schulhoff disc, which is excellent.

This one:

[Irons]

I found this on Discogs --- worth a read if you're interested in Panton's recorded history:

The full company name was initially "Panton, nakladatelství Svazu československých skladatelů" ("Panton, the publishing house of the Czechoslovak Composers Association"), later "Panton, vydavatelství Českého hudebního fondu" ("Panton, publishers for the Czech Music Fund"). From 1967 until ca. 2000, Panton as a record label was releasing domestic recordings of all genres: classical music, pop, rock, jazz, folk, brass music, or spoken word. Among others, particularly noteworthy are the Mini Jazz Klub series of forty-five 7" EPs, released between 1976 and 1986.
After 1996 the label was owned by Bonton Music a.s. Presently the Panton catalogue is owned by Supraphon a.s., with the exception of recordings originally produced at Československý Rozhlas which are owned by Český Rozhlas.

Ownership of record labels are a muddle at the best of times. I wondered how close Supraphon were as both recorded in Prague but with different sound engineers and producers. Discogs go some way in  answering that as Panton came into existence long after Supraphon and my guess the two labels worked independently until Supraphon took ownership of the catalogue. At the end of the day both were State owned.   

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Ownership of record labels are a muddle at the best of times. I wondered how close Supraphon were as both recorded in Prague but with different sound engineers and producers. Discogs go some way in  answering that as Panton came into existence long after Supraphon and my guess the two labels worked independently until Supraphon took ownership of the catalogue. At the end of the day both were State owned. 

I don't have any evidence or document, but I imagine both the labels belonged to the same "bureau" in the communist/autocratic government. While they could have different producers/planners, engineers and performers could have been shared by the two labels. Again, just a guess and I don't have any evidence.

[Irons]

I don't have any evidence or document, but I imagine both the labels belonged to the same "bureau" in the communist/autocratic government. While they could have different producers/planners, engineers and performers could have been shared by the two labels. Again, just a guess and I don't have any evidence.

Yes. The two labels had separate identities but answered to the same government department.

Credit to both Czech labels, unlike some in the West, informed recording location with both recording director and engineer on the back cover of LP records. Over many years of seeking and purchasing Supraphon records I got to recognise some of the names. Eduard Herzog (image below) a recording director and sound engineer Stanislav Sykora featured in many and produced excellent results. 

[Kalevala]

Yes. The two labels had separate identities but answered to the same government department.

Credit to both Czech labels, unlike some in the West, informed recording location with both recording director and engineer on the back cover of LP records. Over many years of seeking and purchasing Supraphon records I got to recognise some of the names. Eduard Herzog (image below) a recording director and sound engineer Stanislav Sykora featured in many and produced excellent results.

If I'm remembering correctly, you mentioned some time ago that Supraphon had top-of-the-line recording equipment from the west?

And I'll have to scribble down those names onto my cheat sheet! 

K

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Fyi.

Poulenc: Harpsichord Concerto. Zuzana Růžičková, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.
The old-style playing sounds cute and hip. The recording sound is unbelievably good, especially for a communist country in the 1960s. I wonder if the engineers at Supraphon were trained in the West.

A simple explanation for excellence of sound of Supraphon issues from the period compared with other labels in the communist bloc. Suprathon were extremely fortunate in taking delivery of state of art recording equipment from Fairchild USA on the cusp of the Iron Curtain and resulting cold war period when imports from the West were banned. 

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

The video just came to my Youtube account. Sounds very good!

Myroslav Skoryk: Concerto for Orchestra 'Karpatskyi' (Carpathian).
Czechoslovak Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Conductor: Jaromir Nohejl.

[Kalevala]

I did a quick google and this popped up:  https://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2004/May04/Debussy_Fournet.htm  Do you like it Irons?

K

[JBS]

This set certainly belongs here


Ironically the least impressive CD from these recordings by a Czech pianist issued by a Czech label is the one devoted to Czech composers.
I should note that only some of these recordings were by Supraphon.