COMPOSERS: Dvorak/Janacek
LABELS: DG Double
WORKS: Stabat mater; Glagolitic Mass
PERFORMER: Soloists; Czech PO/Václav Smetácek, Bavarian RSO & Chorus/Rafael Kubelík
CATALOGUE NO: 437 937-2 ADD (1962/65)
Václav Smetácek’s interpretation of Dvorák’s Stabat mater is one of the most moving ever recorded. These days some may perhaps find the vibrato of the women soloists a touch too fruity and the tenor (Ivo Zidec) is often too hard for comfort, but these are flea-bites on the back of a magnificent animal.
Kubelík’s account of Janácek’s Glagolitic Mass, though at times awkward, is also infectious and luminous. This reissue may be a mixed bag, but Smetácek’s Dvorák is a bargain at any price. Jan Smaczny