This second installment in Peter Breiner’s series of suites from Janácek operas is more successful than the first. It’s particularly exciting to hear the music from Kát’a Kabanova, the composer’s most voluptuous (and saddest) opera. Breiner basically follows the course of the action in his five-movement suite, and after a fairly stiff performance of the overture his conducting steadily improves, as (it seems) does the confidence of the orchestra. The long last movement, all from the third act, is very skillfully put together, and the storm music comprising the first few minutes packs the sonic and emotional wallop that it must. Fans of the opera will really enjoy this.
José Serebrier has already made a suite from The Makropulos Case at the behest of Universal Edition, and he recorded it pretty stunningly for Reference Recordings. Breiner’s six-movement arrangement is quite different. His decision to frame the piece with the opera’s final scene is both smart and effective, though he should have used more of Marty’s final monologue when he brings back the same music at the end. He also adapts more material from Act 2 than does Serebrier, and Breiner’s willingness to organize the music more freely results in a very satisfying half-hour, much more lyrical and tuneful than you might have thought possible. A very enjoyable disc, overall.
