Víteslav Novák is one of the really great Czech composers, so much so that his neglect outside of his native country seems totally incomprehensible. His delightful Slovak Suite consists of five movements: “In the Church”, “Among Children”, “The Amorous Couple”, “Country Musicians”, and “At Night”. Playing for about half an hour, it’s one of the supreme expressions of late-Romantic Czech music, and its presence would grace any chamber orchestra’s concert program. The Serenade in F is a very early work (composed in 1894 when the composer was 24) squarely in the tradition of Dvorák, but with the composer’s already personal brand of wistfulness clearly detectable. The four Melancholy Love Songs, here somewhat quixotically translated as Melancholic Songs of Love, are charming miniatures that last a bit more than 12 minutes, sensitively sung by soprano Jana Tetourová. All of this music is excellently performed by Jiri Belohlávek and the orchestra that he founded, and it belongs in the collection of anyone who enjoys the folk-tinged musical products of Slavic Romanticism.
