Czech conductor
Libor Pesek and the
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic were ideal choices to record works by such Czech masters as
Dvorák,
Suk, and
Smetana during the 1980s and 1990s. Born and trained in Czechoslovakia,
Pesek had this music, the locus classicus of Czech nationalism, in his blood, and he is fully able to communicate his enthusiasm to the English orchestra that responds with energy and strength. Here, the lyricism is melting, the colors vivid, the rhythms organic, and the climaxes stirring. If
Pesek has nothing especially new to say about the work, he still infuses it with enough passionate musicality to make his performance convincing. Older listeners will already have favorite recordings of Má Vlast -- the great
Talich or
Kubelik recordings immediately come to mind. But for listeners unfamiliar with the work, this splendid-sounding disc will do just fine. Virgin's digital sound is cool, clear, colorful, and surprisingly vivid.