This is typically adventurous Marco Polo repertoire, and these accounts of symphonies by Alexander Moyzes (1906-84) should fascinate if you’re interested in 20th century Slavic music. Both works require lavish orchestral forces, akin to the demands of Strauss or Mahler, but Moyzes’ idiom draws on the language of Bartók, Janácek, and Kodály to a considerable degree. He often uses harmonically astringent settings, and both works last fractionally more than half an hour apiece. Symphony No. 5 (1947-48) carries the sub-title “in accordance with the heritage of my dear father”, but it’s no ordinary valediction–lively themes and an often carefree manner suggest a man at the height of his powers. The slow movement (Adagio) is cunningly orchestrated, bringing novel touches of wind scoring in particular, but it’s the finale (the scampering string passagework often reminds you of the finale of Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra) that brings the most striking ideas.
Symphony No. 6 (1951) has an additional movement, a brief and tentative preface to a fairly conventional structure. Moyzes’ pithy and assertive ideas are symetrically handled, making this the more instantly approchable option if you’re new to this composer. The finale, containing some ingenious fugato writing, is undeniably impressive. So are the performances, delivered with punch and authority by the orchestra that premiered both works, under the direction of Ladislav Slovak. Adequate if not top-class sonics, but well worth investigating.
