Following up on my
recent post of Czech music, here is a set of delightful polkas and Czech dances by Bedřich Smetana.
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| Bedřich Smetana |
The composer wrote these works for piano, but in this set they are heard in orchestral guise. Smetana himself orchestrated two of the works; the other arrangements are by Iša Krejči, Jiří Hudec, Ludmilla Úlehlová, František Hertl, Otokar Zich and Václav Trojan.
Performing the works is the Brno State Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by František Jílek, who was with the Brno Opera for many years and the Brno Philharmonic from 1978-83.
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| František Jílek |
These particular recordings date from 1971, and were made in the Stadion Studio in Brno. The sound was a tad opaque due to a dip in the upper mid-range frequency response, which I adjusted.
The download includes reviews from
Gramophone and
Stereo Review.
LINK (remastered version, April 2025)
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| František Jílek at a recording session |
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