ANTONIN DVORAK

‘Another bright idea from Toccata Classics’s Martin Anderson. He has persuaded Josef Suk to transcribe the songs of his great-grandfather, Antonín Dvorák, for violin and viola, giving new life to these charming but neglected miniatures. […] A tender and highly personal collection to cherish.’

Stephen Pritchard

‘These delightful transcriptions reach to the heart of Dvorák’s songfulness and, unmediated by interpolations or unnecessary curlicues, present them simply and aptly in a new, wholly worthwhile medium. […] [Josef Suk] remains a marvel.  If you know the songs, or even if you don’t, I think you’ll love these transcriptions.’

Jonathan Woolf


 

‘What on paper already seems an important release - Dvorák’s great-grandson with Vladimir Ashkenazy in Dvorák transcriptions – turns out to be a real gem. Suk and Ashkenazy deliver unspeakably lovely performances. This is a recording to return to again and again.’

James Jolly

‘[a] delightful disc... The inauthentic doesn’t come much more authentic. [...] For the Op 99 Biblical Songs, Suk takes up the viola, but his violin tone is so rich, you could believe he was playing one all along.’

Paul Driver
 

‘Toccata Classics, the record company arm of Toccata Press, furthers the aim of exploring the byways of classical music. And as a label it has turned up some real treats… [the] disc of Dvorak songs transcribed for violin or viola by Josef Suk and played by him with Ashkenazy at the piano is glorious!’

James Jolly

Download Round-up March 2010
‘very entertaining and it typifies Toccata’s enterprise in offering out-of-the-way music.  I first heard Josef Suk play his great-grandfather’s music in the early 1960s on a Supraphon recording of the Dvorák Violin Concerto, and I’m delighted to hear that he is still going strong – here playing both the violin and his great-grandfather’s viola.’

Brian Wilson

 

 ‘...blissful… a real labor of love on several levels.’ ****

Gary Lemco
     

“Gianandrea Noseda’s Rachmaninov series, which so far includes the First Symphony and operas ‘Francesca da Rimini and The Miserly Knight, continues with a sumptuous account of the composer’s longest and most accomplished symphony. The beauty of Rachmaninov’s orchestration is emphasised with playing that is both rich and detailed, the clarinet solo in the Adagio not only beguilingly played but also supported by a luminous and seductive web of sound.”

Christian Hoskins

‘Few words needed. There are some lovely pieces here all of which sound as if they are originals for violin and/or viola with piano, a tribute to these very effective transcriptions by Josef Suk, who, recorded a month or so after his 80th-birthday, plays with feeling and insight and is accompanied with power, deftness and discretion by Vladimir Ashkenazy. […] This is authoritative music-making in both the endeavour of arranging and through the insights of performance, Suk and Ashkenazy making no concession to age.’

Colin Anderson

Performance ****      Recording *****

"With its avowed commitment to recording unjustly neglected repertory it may seem rather strange for Toccata Classics to be featuring works by such a mainstream figure as Dvorak. Yet with a few notable exceptions the great composer’s songs are hardly well-known outside the Czech Republic, so the opportunity  to hear these evocative and melodious miniatures in affectionate and warmly recorded performances from these great musicians should not be passed up lightly."

"...I find the final song from the 11th of the Op. 32 Moravian Duets ... particularly captivating."

Erik Levi

‘Readers familiar with Suk’s immense and magnificent discography will be delighted to discover he’s playing as well as ever... we can hear the same vibrant tone, pure intonation and confident musicianship that has thrilled us for many years... Dvorák’s melodic quality is strong enough to stand without text. And, in Ashkenazy’s hands, the piano parts emerge as wonderfully colourful and evocative.’

Duncan Druce