Vítězslav Novák, a composition student of Dvořák, rose to prominence with a series of increasingly ambitious orchestral works that reflect his very personal amalgam of folk music elements, impressionism and late Romanticism. The far-ranging harmonies heard in Toman and the Wood Nymph earned Novák some notoriety – his evocation of supernatural magic and human passion results in music of heady intensity. The evocative aura of the later South Bohemian Suite is notable for the subtlety with which folk songs are embedded into its textures.

Conductor Marek Štilec is Naxos’s expert for Czech orchestral music. He has recently completed a series of works by Zdeněk Fibich – the final volume features Symphony no.3, released in June 2020 (8574120). ClassicsToday.com praised the recording, and stated: ‘Štilec understands the music, and conducts with obvious conviction, as well as that lively rhythmic impulse that all Czech music seems to possess, even when (as here) it does not sound obviously Czech’. (9/9)

Štilec has also recorded the symphonies and cantatas of Leopold Koželuch. Of Symphonies, Vol.3 (8574047), American Record Guide wrote: ‘The playing of the Czech Chamber Orchestra is excellent, enthusiastic, and sympathetic. This clear-toned, sleek string sound works well in this music. Marek Štilec keeps things moving with fine sensitivity, the excellent sound suits the music’.

The Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the foremost and oldest symphony orchestras in the Czech Republic. The orchestra has amassed an exceptionally broad, rich and varied repertoire. Its focus is mostly on the grand figures of classical music of the 19th and 20th century. The orchestra is an authentic performer of works by distinguished Czech composers such as Dvořák, Smetana, Janáček, Martinů, Novák and Foerster, among others.