Josef Suk (1874-1935)

Quasi Ballata Op.17/1
Appassionato Op 17/2

The Czech composer Josef Suk was best known in his lifetime as a violinist; for a long time afterwards he was best remembered, at least outside Czechoslovakia, as the son-in-law of Antonìn Dvorák. However, his orchestral works have made a gradual return to the concert hall, and his masterpiece, the Asrael symphony Op.27 (1906), was performed in the CBSO’s final concert at Birmingham Town Hall in 1991. Numerous of his chamber works have also held a place in the repertoire, foremost amongst these being the Four Pieces Op.17 for violin and piano (1900). These four miniatures typify Suk’s musical style, showing him firmly in the turn-of-the-century, late-romantic mainstream, although possessed of a very Bohemian rhythmic sense and a distinctly personal strain of lyricism. The first, Quasi Ballata, sets a songlike violin melody over limpid piano chords against a more turbulent, declamatory central section; the second, Appassionato, has the character of a Slavonic Dance, with a contrasting lyrical episode evoking Suk’s admired father-in-law Dvorák.

R.G. Bratby


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