Contemporary Czech Music, Vol. 6
JIRÍ BERKOVEC (b.1922): Sonatina No. 1 for Orchestra (Moravian Philharmonic; Jirí Kares), ILJA HURNÍK (b.1922): Variations on a Theme of Pergolesi for Piano Four Hands (Ilja & Jana Hurník), LUBOS SLUKA (b.1928): Cello Sonata (Jan Polásek [cello], Ales Bílek [piano]), JAN F. FISCHER (1921-2006): Aria for 2 Harps (Jana Bousková, Katerina Englichová), OLDRICH F. KORTE (b.1926): Philosophical Dialogues for Violin and Piano (Shizuka Ishikawa [violin], Oldrich F. Korte [piano]), STEPÁN LUCKY (b.1919): Octet for Strings (Prague Chamber Orchestra; Milos Konvalinka).
Catalogue Number: 11M080
Label: ArcoDiva
Reference: UP 0087-2
Format: CD
Price: $17.98
Description: This compliation comes from archival sources of varying quality (the Korte and Lucky) but the music has a strong neo-romantic profile, especially the too-brief Berkovec and Hurník's 12-minute variations are delightful. Sluka is also warmly neo-romantic, Korte slightly more dissonant and only Lucky (1970) providing evidence of the reigning modernism of the period.