Naxos
1996
Janácek: Piano Music, Vol. 2
About This Album
Leos Janacek (1854-1928) is not known for his piano music. The extraordinary operas he wrote in the last half of his career, the Sinfonietta and Taras Bulba have established his reputation as one of the greatest Czech composers. Part of the reason for the neglect of his keyboard output is its sparsity, of course; too, Czech composers, unlike their counterparts in Germany and Russia, have never established a tradition in this corner of the repertory. Thus their productions have failed to attract most pianists, who, it must be observed, are reluctant to explore the environs beyond the beaten path. But most of Janacek's piano compositions are worthwhile and fully deserve greater attention.

Variations for Zdenka, an early Brahms-flavored work, is charming, the perfect piece to stump friends with in a "guess the composer" quiz. It offers an attractive, stately theme with seven innovative variations. A Recollection is an interesting short work, somewhat impressionistic, with Debussy coming to mind in some of the harmonies. The five pieces comprising Music for Exercise Gymnastique are folk-tinged concoctions of humor and spice, often conjuring up images of obese, weight-minded people working out to the bombastic and often elephantine thumping rhythms of the dance-like music.
Track List

Theme and variations for piano in B flat major ("Zdenciny variace," "Zdenka Variations"), JW 8/6
1.
Moravian Dances (3), For Piano (combines JW 8/18 And JW 8/12)
2.
Vzpomínka (Reminiscence), for piano, JW 8/32
3.
Music for Club-swinging Exercises (Hudba ke krouzení Kuzely), for piano, JW 8/13
4.
In the mists (V Mlhách), pieces (4) for piano, JW 8/22
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Concertino For Piano, 2 Violins, Viola, Clarinet, Horn & Bassoon, JW 7/11
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12.
13.