Josef Špaček, Miroslav Sekera - Janáček, Smetana, Prokofiev (2013)

Tracklist

01. Violin Sonata, JW VII/7: I. Con moto
02. Violin Sonata, JW VII/7: II. Ballade. Con moto
03. Violin Sonata, JW VII/7: III. Allegretto
04. Violin Sonata, JW VII/7: IV. Adagio. Un poco piu mosso
05. From the Homeland, JB 1:118: I. Moderato
06. From the Homeland, JB 1:118: II. Andantino - Moderato
07. Sonata for Solo Violin, Op. 115: I. Moderato
08. Sonata for Solo Violin, Op. 115: II. Thema con variazioni. Andante
09. Sonata for Solo Violin, Op. 115: III. Con brio - Allegro precipitato
10. Violin Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 80: I. Andante assai
11. Violin Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 80: II. Allegro brusco
12. Violin Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 80: III. Andante
13. Violin Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 80: IV. Allegrissimo - Andante assai, come prima

Still only 26, the violinist Josef Špaček has already covered an enormous amount of ground. After completing his studies at the Curtis Institut e of Music in Philadelphia, he attended Itzhak Perlman's class at the Juilliard School in New York, and he has given solo performances under the baton of outstanding conductors (Bělohlávek, Eschenbach, Honeck, Hrůša). In 2009 he won the Michael Hill International Violin Competition (New Zealand), in May 2012 he became a laureate of the closely observed Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels and in the same year led the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra as concert master at the chief conductor Jiří Bělohlávek's inauguration concerts. For his Supraphon debut, Josef Špaček has chosen works by Slavonic composers. The two duets from Smetana's From My Homeland are considered the counterpart to his cycle My Country, while Janáček's Sonata, which was introduced to the world by Paul Hindemith as a soloist, is evidently the most frequently performed Czech violin sonata. And when it comes to Prokofiev, the Russian master's music is a truly heartfelt matter for Špaček (as a soloist, he has executed both of his concertos). The pianist Miroslav Sekera is a wonderful partner to Špaček on the recording, as are the superb and inspiring acoustics of the Dvořák Hall of Prague's Rudolfinum.

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