Zdenĕk Fibich began his life as a forester’s son, and grew up to become an important Czech Romantic composer, performer and educator in Prague, eventually forming and running his own musical institute there. Fibich composed in a wide range of genres in a style less overtly nationalistic than Dvorak’s or Smetana’s. In chamber music, he occupied himself frequently with compositions for violin and piano, of which this Supraphon release comprises the first complete edition. The disc opens with the bright, tuneful Sontina, a piece remarkable for having been composed in a single day, and for the major/minor mode interplay that’s a distinctive feature of so much Czech music. The four-movement Sonata in D, the most substantial work here, begins with a slow, quasi-fugal introduction which, after returning at the start of the finale, opens up into a delightful Polonaise. Fibich was fond of this dance form, and composed an even grander version in the Concert Polonaise of 1878. The remaining works, the Romance, Song without Words, and Clear Night all share the same warm, home-spun quality that makes Fibich’s music so comforting. Violinist par excellence Josef Suk gives tour-de-force performances of his countryman’s compositions, and he’s smartly partnered by the sensitive and stylish playing of Josef Hála at the piano. Supraphon’s excellent sound provides the icing on the cake.
