The city of Prague was a cultural hotspot in the1920s and 30s. From 1918 to 1935 the country’s president was the European-minded and remarkably liberal philosopher Tom Masaryk,and his successor Edvard Benes was a kindred spirit. The three population groups, enriched by emigrants from Russia, the Ukraine, Germany and Austria, competed with one another but also inspired each other.
This was the Prague in which the composers on this CD were involved. In their music we hear the old and the new, tradition and renewal, but above all, imagination and talent. When the border between East and West opened up in 1989, their music had hardly been heard in the West for some fifty years, having been suppressed first by the Nazis and then by suffocating communist rule. With the exception of Ullmann, even today these composers have hardly reached our concert halls.
01. The Wedding Party on the Eiffel Tower, Op. 11: I. Overture 1:12
02. 6 Miniatures for Chamber Orchestra: I. Sehr langsam 2:04
03. 6 Miniatures for Chamber Orchestra: II. Ruhig bewegt 1:39
04. 6 Miniatures for Chamber Orchestra: III. Ziemlich breit 2:08
05. 6 Miniatures for Chamber Orchestra: IV. Schnell 1:12
06. 6 Miniatures for Chamber Orchestra: V. Sehr langsam 2:07
07. 6 Miniatures for Chamber Orchestra: VI. Tempo moderato 3:28
08. The Wedding Party on the Eiffel Tower, Op. 11: II. Speech from the General 1:28
08. The Wedding Party on the Eiffel Tower, Op. 11: II. Speech from the General 1:28
09. Small Overture, Op. 42 4:44
09. Small Overture, Op. 42 4:44
09. Small Overture, Op. 42 4:44
10. About Children, Op. 6: I. Moderato, “Spěchají lidé a tramvaje letí” 2:43
10. About Children, Op. 6: I. Moderato, “Spěchají lidé a tramvaje letí” 2:43
10. About Children, Op. 6: I. Moderato, “Spěchají lidé a tramvaje letí” 2:43
11. About Children, Op. 6: II. Rubato, “Sotva jsem přijel” 2:26
11. About Children, Op. 6: II. Rubato, “Sotva jsem přijel” 2:26
11. About Children, Op. 6: II. Rubato, “Sotva jsem přijel” 2:26
12. About Children, Op. 6: III. Moderato leggiero, “Na děti v trávě se dívám” 2:02
12. About Children, Op. 6: III. Moderato leggiero, “Na děti v trávě se dívám” 2:02
12. About Children, Op. 6: III. Moderato leggiero, “Na děti v trávě se dívám” 2:02
13. The Wedding Party on the Eiffel Tower, Op. 11: III. Intermezzo No. 1 1:01
13. The Wedding Party on the Eiffel Tower, Op. 11: III. Intermezzo No. 1 1:01
13. The Wedding Party on the Eiffel Tower, Op. 11: III. Intermezzo No. 1 1:01
14. Fantasy for Nonet No. 2 in Seven-note System, Op. 41 11:57
14. Fantasy for Nonet No. 2 in Seven-note System, Op. 41 11:57
14. Fantasy for Nonet No. 2 in Seven-note System, Op. 41 11:57
15. The Wedding Party on the Eiffel Tower, Op. 11: IV. Intermezzo No. 2 0:52
15. The Wedding Party on the Eiffel Tower, Op. 11: IV. Intermezzo No. 2 0:52
15. The Wedding Party on the Eiffel Tower, Op. 11: IV. Intermezzo No. 2 0:52
16. 5 Short Pieces for Cello and Piano, Op. 9: I. Allegro risoluto 0:51
16. 5 Short Pieces for Cello and Piano, Op. 9: I. Allegro risoluto 0:51
16. 5 Short Pieces for Cello and Piano, Op. 9: I. Allegro risoluto 0:51
17. 5 Short Pieces for Cello and Piano, Op. 9: II. Andante 1:20
17. 5 Short Pieces for Cello and Piano, Op. 9: II. Andante 1:20
17. 5 Short Pieces for Cello and Piano, Op. 9: II. Andante 1:20
18. 5 Short Pieces for Cello and Piano, Op. 9: III. Moderato 1:03
18. 5 Short Pieces for Cello and Piano, Op. 9: III. Moderato 1:03
18. 5 Short Pieces for Cello and Piano, Op. 9: III. Moderato 1:03
19. 5 Short Pieces for Cello and Piano, Op. 9: IV. Adagio – Presto 1:22
19. 5 Short Pieces for Cello and Piano, Op. 9: IV. Adagio – Presto 1:22
19. 5 Short Pieces for Cello and Piano, Op. 9: IV. Adagio – Presto 1:22
20. 5 Short Pieces for Cello and Piano, Op. 9: V. Allegro vivace 0:38
21. 5 Polydynamic Pieces, Op. 3: I. 1:21
22. 5 Polydynamic Pieces, Op. 3: II. 1:13
23. 5 Polydynamic Pieces, Op. 3: III. 0:34
24. 5 Polydynamic Pieces, Op. 3: IV. 1:47
25. 5 Polydynamic Pieces, Op. 3: V. 6:15
26. Cheerful Acrostics, Op. 12: I. Alois Hába 0:35
27. Cheerful Acrostics, Op. 12: II. Vladimír Helfert 0:53