Composer: Julius Fučík
Performer: David Hubbard
Orchestra: Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Conductor: Neeme Järvi
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Chandos
Catalogue: CHSA5158
Release: 2015
Size: 1.43 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
01. Marinarella, Op. 215
02. Onkel Teddy (Uncle Teddy), Op. 239 (version for orchestra)
Donausagen, Op. 233
03. Andantino
04. I. Tempo di valse
05. II. Con dolcezza
06. III.
07. Coda
08. Die lustigen Dorfschmiede, Op. 218
09. Der alte Brummbar, Op. 210
10. Entry of the Gladiators
11. Miramare, Op. 247
12. Florentiner Marsch
13. Wintersturme (Winter Storms), Op. 184 (arr. P. Stanek for orchestra)
14. Hercegovac, Op. 235
15. Regimentskinder (Children of the Regiment), Op. 169
Ballettratten, Op. 226
16. Allegretto
17. I. Tempo di valse
18. II. Meno con delicatezza
19. III. Meno mosso
20. Coda
21. The Mississippi River, Op. 160 (161)
22. Unter der Admiralsflagge (Under the Admiral’s Flag), Op. 82
Thirty years after having recorded Dvořák’s complete Symphonies on Chandos, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and its laureate conductor Neeme Järvi tackle another romantic Czech composer: Julius Fučík, famous for his more than 400 polkas, marches, and waltzes, some of the best of which are featured here.
Fučík studied violin in his early years, switching later to the bassoon, with a subsidiary in percussion and timpani. Playing in Austrian regiments, he gained invaluable experience of writing for military band and became a very prolific composer of marches. The most famous of these is of course Entry of the Gladiators, completed in 1899 and performed throughout the world ever since.
Full of energetic, effervescent Bohemian crossrhythms, tuneful brass melodies (often now associated with a circus atmosphere), but also more lyrical expressions, this album is a festival in itself.
Best known for his ubiquitous circus march, Entry of the Gladiators (also known as Thunder and Blazes), Julius Fucík, the “Bohemian Sousa,” was a prolific composer of band and orchestral music in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While his marches, waltzes, and polkas are still popular in the Czech Republic, they have largely faded from the Western orchestral repertoire. Neeme Järvi and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra have released this hybrid SACD collection on Chandos to revive some tuneful bonbons that deserve a fresh reassessment and a place on programs of light music. In addition to Entry of the Gladiators, highlights of this album include the Florentiner March, Danube Legends, Little Ballerinas, and Under the Admiral’s Flag, which are examples of Fucík’s infectious melodies, rousing rhythms, and zestful orchestration. The multichannel recording offers a spacious ambience that fully accommodates the orchestra’s bold, brassy quality.