Suk (2018)

The music of Josef Suk, Dvorak's star pupil, is beginning to get its due, but it is the large, grim Asrael Symphony and a few other orchestral works that have taken the spotlight. Suk wrote a good deal of music in smaller genres, and this expert release by pianist Jonathan Plowright makes a good case for the piano music. The sets of short pieces here date from the 1890s, during the happy period of Suk's life when he was newly married to Dvorak's daughter. They are of the salon, and there is nothing serious about them. But ... Read More

The music of Josef Suk, Dvorak's star pupil, is beginning to get its due, but it is the large, grim Asrael Symphony and a few other orchestral works that have taken the spotlight. Suk wrote a good deal of music in smaller genres, and this expert release by pianist Jonathan Plowright makes a good case for the piano music. The sets of short pieces here date from the 1890s, during the happy period of Suk's life when he was newly married to Dvorak's daughter. They are of the salon, and there is nothing serious about them. But their artistry is nonpareil. Much of the music is vividly descriptive; you could sample the three parts of the Summer Impressions, Op. 22b for an idea. The general influence of Dvorak is present, but piano music did not play a big role in Dvorak's output, and the sound of this music is Suk's own. He is actually a bit less indebted to Czech folk music than was his teacher, although he does turn to the dumka dance form explored by Dvorak in his Piano Trio No. 4 in E minor, Op. 90... Read Less