Dvořák: Serenades - Suk: Meditation

"In my opinion, as soon as Dvořák starts to be pompous, frilly, over-stylized, even rash or studiously virtuoso, the approach is wrong. My goal was to emphasize its simplicity and naturalness, because when this is lost, Dvořák isn't Dvořák anymore." These words of Jakub Hrůša shine through the young conductor's third CD, in which he again juxtaposes the works of teacher Antonín Dvořák and his student Josef Suk. Hrůša's preceding albums (Dvořák - Czech Suite, Waltzes, Polonaise in E flat major, SU 3867-2; Dvořák - Suite in A major, Suk - Serenade for Strings in E flat major, Scherzo Fantastique, SU 3882-2) aroused uncommon interest on the part of critics, proof of the extraordinary talent of the conductor and his meticulous work with theprecise, lively, colourful Prague Philharmonia (see Edward Greenfield, Gramophone). This new title, featuring two Dvořák serenades (the 1875 Serenade for Strings and the 1878 Serenade for Winds) andSuk's Meditation based on the chorale "Saint Wenceslas" is the third part of a triptych dedicated to these two closely connected composers.