Janáček: Lachian Dances, Suite from The Cunning Little Vixen, Taras Bulba

Many seasoned conductors keep returning to Janáček's symphonic works - owing to their sparkling expressiveness, colourful emotions and lucid purity drawn deep from the wellspring of folk music. Jakub Hrůša proves that fascination with Janáček'smusic applies to the youngest generation of conductors too. The recording opens with six ebullient Lachian Dances and when it comes to The Cunning Little Vixen, Jakub Hrůša has chosen the rarely performed version of the Suite arranged by František Jílek,a connoisseur of Janáček's ouvre. His Suite retains Janáček's original instrumentation and spans the trajectory of the opera's action. The recording is crowned by the rhapsody for orchestra Taras Bulba. Janáček's initial title for thework - Slavonic Rhapsody - reflects not only national but also Slavonic pride, which is celebrated here in the character of the fearless Cossack leader Taras Bulba. Janáček masterfully succeeded in transposing his fascination with the culture of Tsarist Russia into a composition which on this CD is undertaken by a young conductor fascinated in turn by Janáček's work.