To describe Leoš Janáček (1854-1928) as a late developer is something of an understatement. Many of his most famous works – 4 operas including The Cunning Little Vixen and the Makropulos Affair, 2 String Quartets, the Sinfonietta and the Glagolitic Mass – were written in the last decade of his life.
But, to start with, two works that precede that 1918 watershed.
The Lašské tance [Lachian Dances] were originally written between 1889 and 1891 and revised in 1924. In their original version they represent one of the composer’s first essays in orchestral writing and also demonstrate an early example of his life-long interest in Czech folk music in general and that of his native Moravia in particular.
1. Starodávný I [Ancient Dance I] 0:06
2. Požehnaný [The Blessed One] 6:24
3. Dymák [Bellows Dance] 8:49
4. Starodávný II [Ancient Dance II] 11:03
5. Čeladenský [Čeladna Dance] 16:57
6. Pilky [Saw Dance] 18:58
The first five pieces of Book 1 of Po zarostlém chodníčku [On an overgrown path] were written in 1900 for harmonium. Then, in 1908, Janáček added the remaining movements and designated the entire collection not for harmonium, but for piano.
While the opening pieces deal mostly with familial and childhood memories, the last three represent the composer’s desolation over his daughter, Olga’s death from heart disease.
0:18 Naše večery – Our Evenings
3:42 Lístek odvanutý – Blown Away Leaf
6:01 Pojďte s námi! – Come With Us!
7:10 Frýdecká panna Maria – The Madonna of Frydek
10:26 Štěbetaly jak laštovičky – They Chattered Like Swallows
12:23 Nelze domluvit! – Words Fail!
14:20 Dobrou noc! – Good Night!
17:26 Tak neskonale úzko – Unutterable Anguish
20:01 V pláči – In Tears
22:37 Sýček neodletěl! – The Barn Owl Has Not Flown Away
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The Art of Listening 