Here is a pleasing collection of ‘light’ music by two great Czech composers. The disc opens with Dvorak’s Festive March, a boisterous piece that sets its regimental foot on an upbeat, making it unlikely that any brigade would find it suitable for marching. The Polonaise in E flat, composed for a Prague pops concert, is similar in style to the polonaises of Mussorgsky and Tchaikovsky. The perky Polka in B flat follows, after which we are treated to the Prague Waltzes, a multiple waltz-in-one, Johann Strauss style. From the cosmopolitan ballroom we retreat to the bohemian town square for the Waltzes, Op. 54 (originally for piano) which delight the ear with their rustic charm.
Suk’s Fantastic Scherzo is a little too substantial to be called light music, unless you compare it to the composer’s “Asrael” Symphony. A catchy rhythmic Czech tune on the woodwinds leads to a bewitching string melody–the kind that haunts you for days. The “fantastic” elements are found in the trio, with its Smetana-like wind writing played wonderfully by the Prague Symphony Orchestra. The early 1980’s analog recording is well balanced, lacking only the clarity of today’s best. Recommended.
