COMPOSERS: Korte,Smetana,Suk
LABELS: Supraphon
WORKS: Czech Dances (excerpts); Polka in G minor; Memories of Plzen
PERFORMER: Ivan Moravec (piano)
CATALOGUE NO: SU 3509-2 Reissue (1962, 1984)
None of the composers represented here is likely ever to find a more persuasive or more formidably equipped champion than the doggedly underrated Ivan Moravec, whose artistry and technique were at least sufficiently recognised for him to find a place in the Philips megathon ‘Great Pianists of the 20th Century’. Nor, some may feel, do they deserve to. Smetana’s piano music, like Suk’s, is polished, resourceful and often characterful, while Korte’s is to all intents and purposes entirely unknown outside his homeland. But all of it is pretty peripheral, and few listeners are likely to crave repeated exposure to it. For confirmed fans only, then. Jeremy Siepmann
Smetana, Suk, Korte
None of the composers represented here is likely ever to find a more persuasive or more formidably equipped champion than the doggedly underrated Ivan Moravec, whose artistry and technique were at least sufficiently recognised for him to find a place in the Philips megathon ‘Great Pianists of the 20th Century’. Nor, some may feel, do they deserve to. Smetana’s piano music, like Suk’s, is polished, resourceful and often characterful, while Korte’s is to all intents and purposes entirely unknown outside his homeland.
Our rating
5
Published: January 20, 2012 at 1:20 pm