Remarks:
The operas of Leos Janacek have been gaining their rightful place in major opera houses the world over. First staged in 1904, 'Jenufa', a powerful tragedy set in a Moravian village, launched Janacek's operatic career. 'The Excursions of Mr Broucek', which had its premiere in 1920, is his most candidly satirical opera, rich in high jinks as the bumptious Prague publican travels to the Moon and back to the 15th century. Peter Breiner, who created the compelling orchestral suites heard on this disc, conducts these world premiere recordings.An interview with composer/arranger/conductor Peter Breiner, by Sean Hickey:
Why did you decide to take on this project?
Several reasons. First - great affinity to Janacek, not only as a countryman but as a composer with an original language, preceding by decades the minimalists and the "repetitive school" which are almost all more or less successful clones of Janacek, whether they know it or not. I spent a few years in Brno, where I played in a band and actually even met some old musicians who played some premieres by Janacek as young boys. A chance to write for large forces again, which is what I love. Also, as a former percussionist, I share Janacek's love of timpani as a melodic instrument and huge brass sections.
On top of all that, we are both born on the same day.
Janacek is surely one of the unique compositional voices of the 20th-century's first half, one who seemed to operate largely outside the central European trends and who marched to his own drummer, as it were. What has this project taught you about the composer?
That drummer was really his own. The way he decided to build melodies so it would correspond with intonation of human speech is clearly very unique - not a Sprechgesang at all. Also, for him it was always the idea first - he did not care too much whether it would fit the instrument or the combination of instruments, he just wanted to get his ideas through, no matter what. This way his music language becomes a bit idiosyncratic at a times and some spots are barely playable or not ideally balanced. The demands on some solo instruments (violin, trumpet, even timpani) are really high and the players and/or conductor simply have to find some way around it. However, the ideas, the themes, the music is always worth it. Despite being very unique compared to anything else at the time, it still maintains an incredible beauty.
This disc contains the suites you fashioned from Janacek's Jenufa – surely his best-known opera – as well as The Excursions of Mr. Broucek. The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra sounds truly fantastic in this repertoire. What are the plans to record suites from the other operas and will you be doing so with the same forces?
First of all, NZSO is a truly extraordinary orchestra. They approached this music with gusto, enthusiasm and an incredible discipline. I enjoyed this recording immensely and thanks to very generous approach of both the orchestra and Naxos to this project, I was able to record 3 CDs of all 6 most important Janacek's operas. Volume 2 will contain Katya Kabanova and The Makropoulos Case and Vol 3 has The Cunning Little Vixen and From The House of the Dead. Even if it's hard to believe, the playing quality even improved as we continued recording and you're in for a real treat in outstanding 2 CDs that are due to release later in 2009.
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Leos Janácek (1854 - 1928) : Jenufa :: Night is already falling
- Performer: Vesa-Matti Leppanen (Violin)
- Conductor: Peter Breiner
- Ensemble: New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
- Notes: Arranger: Peter Breiner.
- Running Time: 4 min. 16 sec.
- Period Time: 20th Century
- Form: Opera/Operetta
Leos Janácek (1854 - 1928) : Jenufa :: All are getting married...Every couple must get over its problems
- Performer: Vesa-Matti Leppanen (Violin)
- Conductor: Peter Breiner
- Ensemble: New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
- Notes: Arranger: Peter Breiner.
- Running Time: 5 min. 42 sec.
- Period Time: 20th Century
- Form: Opera/Operetta
Leos Janácek (1854 - 1928) : Jenufa :: Are you feeling sad Jenufa?
- Performer: Vesa-Matti Leppanen (Violin)
- Conductor: Peter Breiner
- Ensemble: New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
- Notes: Arranger: Peter Breiner.
- Running Time: 5 min. 3 sec.
- Period Time: 20th Century
- Form: Opera/Operetta
Leos Janácek (1854 - 1928) : Jenufa :: Far and wide
- Performer: Vesa-Matti Leppanen (Violin)
- Conductor: Peter Breiner
- Ensemble: New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
- Notes: Arranger: Peter Breiner.
- Running Time: 4 min. 5 sec.
- Period Time: 20th Century
- Form: Opera/Operetta
Leos Janácek (1854 - 1928) : Jenufa :: May God grant you a good day
- Performer: Vesa-Matti Leppanen (Violin)
- Conductor: Peter Breiner
- Ensemble: New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
- Notes: Arranger: Peter Breiner.
- Running Time: 7 min. 31 sec.
- Period Time: 20th Century
- Form: Opera/Operetta
Leos Janácek (1854 - 1928) : Jenufa :: They've all left, now you leave too!
- Performer: Vesa-Matti Leppanen (Violin)
- Conductor: Peter Breiner
- Ensemble: New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
- Notes: Arranger: Peter Breiner.
- Running Time: 4 min. 28 sec.
- Period Time: 20th Century
- Form: Opera/Operetta
Leos Janácek (1854 - 1928) : The Excursions of Mr. Broucek :: Matthew Broucek
- Conductor: Peter Breiner
- Ensemble: New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
- Notes: Arranger: Peter Breiner.
- Running Time: 5 min. 16 sec.
- Period Time: 20th Century
- Form: Opera/Operetta
- Written: 1908-1917
Leos Janácek (1854 - 1928) : The Excursions of Mr. Broucek :: There is the Moon
- Conductor: Peter Breiner
- Ensemble: New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
- Notes: Arranger: Peter Breiner.
- Running Time: 9 min. 49 sec.
- Period Time: 20th Century
- Form: Opera/Operetta
- Written: 1908-1917
Leos Janácek (1854 - 1928) : The Excursions of Mr. Broucek :: Waltzes and other dances
- Conductor: Peter Breiner
- Ensemble: New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
- Notes: Arranger: Peter Breiner.
- Running Time: 8 min. 25 sec.
- Period Time: 20th Century
- Form: Opera/Operetta
- Written: 1908-1917
Leos Janácek (1854 - 1928) : The Excursions of Mr. Broucek :: Visitor from Earth
- Conductor: Peter Breiner
- Ensemble: New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
- Notes: Arranger: Peter Breiner.
- Running Time: 6 min. 14 sec.
- Period Time: 20th Century
- Form: Opera/Operetta
- Written: 1908-1917
Leos Janácek (1854 - 1928) : The Excursions of Mr. Broucek :: Those who are the warriors of God
- Conductor: Peter Breiner
- Ensemble: New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
- Notes: Arranger: Peter Breiner.
- Running Time: 9 min. 9 sec.
- Period Time: 20th Century
- Form: Opera/Operetta
- Written: 1908-1917
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