Josef Suk’s early recordings – previously unreleased and bearing witness to the legendary 20th-century violinist’s mastery.

On the morning of 7 July 2011, the agencies brought the sad news that one of the legends of 20th century music had passed away. Josef Suk ranks among the most accomplished violinists of the epoch. When he launched his artistic career, he was gifted with unquestionable talent but also felt the obligation to meet enormous general expectations - he was, after all, the grandson of the composer Josef Suk and great grandson of the maestro Antonin Dvořak!.

Back in the mid-1950s he won international recognition – and began recording too. The presented recordings, most of them on CD for the very first time, date from 1956-1967 and introduce Josef Suk as a mature artist with a distinct interpretational approach and a beautiful, characteristic tone. Within a short time he recorded, primarily with pianists (Holeček, Panenka, Hala), a remarkably extensive repertoire, ranging from pieces by his beloved Dvořak and Suk (to whom he would repeatedly return) to sonatas by Debussy and Janaček (for which he received a Grand Prix du Disque de l’Academie Charles Cros), as well as duos by Kodaly and Honegger with the cellist Andre Navarra.

These carefully remastered recordings serve as a historical document and, above all, bear witness to the art of a superlative young musician whose name would later be spoken of in the same breath as other legends.

Contents:
CD I
Antonín Dvořák
Romantic Pieces for Violin and Piano, Op.75 (B 150)
1. I Allegro moderato
2. II Allegro maestoso
3. III Allegro appassionato
4. IV Larghetto

Sonatina for Violin and Piano in G major, Op.100 (B 183)
5. I Allegro risoluto
6. II Larghetto
7. III Scherzo. Molto vivace
8. IV Finale. Allegro

Sonata for Violin and Piano in F major, Op.57 (B 106)
9. I Allegro, ma non troppo
10. II Poco sostenuto
11. III Allegro molto

Josef Suk
Four Pieces for Violin and Piano, Op.17
12. I Quasi ballata
13. II Appassionato
14. III Un poco triste
15. IV Burlesque

Josef Suk (violin), Josef Hála (piano), Jan Panenka (piano)
Recorded at the Domovina Studio, Prague: 1956, 1957 & 1958

CD II
Leoš Janáček
Sonata for Violin and Piano
1. I Con moto
2. II Ballade. Con moto
3. III Allegretto
4. IV Adagio. Un poco più mosso

Bedřich Smetana
From the Homeland. Two pieces for Violin and Piano
5. I Moderato
6. II Andantino. Moderato. Allegro vivo. Moderato assai. Presto

Jaroslav Ježek
Sonata for Violin and Piano (1933)
7. I Allegro vivo / Allegretto
8. II Lento
9. III Largo
10. IV Allegro

Bohuslav Martinů
Duo for Violin and Cello No.1, H 157
11. I Preludium. Andante moderato
12. II Rondo. Allegro con brio

Duo for Cello and Violin No.2, H 371
13. I Allegretto
14. II Adagio
15. III Poco allegro

Josef Suk (violin), Jan Panenka (piano), André Navarra (cello)
Recorded at the Domovina Studio, Prague: 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966

CD III
Edvard Grieg
Sonata for Violin and Piano No.3 in C minor, Op.45
1. I Allegro molto ed appassionato
2. II Allegretto espressivo alla Romanza
3. III Allegro animato

Robert Schumann
4. Evening Song for Violin and Piano, Op.85 No.12

Ottorino Respighi
Sonata for Violin and Piano in B minor (1917)
5. I Moderato
6. II Andante espressivo
7. III Passacaglia. Allegro moderato, ma energico

Johannes Brahms
Sonata for Violin and Piano No.1 in G major, Op.78
8. I Vivace ma non troppo
9. II Adagio
10. III Allegro molto moderato
11. Valse for Violin and Piano in A major, Op.39 No.15

Josef Suk (violin), Josef Hála (piano), Jan Panenka (piano)
Recorded at the Domovina Studio, Prague: 1956, 1958

CD IV
Johannes Brahms
Sonata for Violin and Piano No.2 in A major, Op.100
1. I Allegro amabile
2. II Andante tranquillo. Vivace
3. III Allegretto grazioso (Quasi andante)

Sonata for Violin and Piano No.3 in D minor, Op.108
4. I Allegro
5. II Adagio
6. III Un poco presto e con sentimento
7. IV Presto agitato

Franz Schubert
Sonatina for Violin and Piano in D major, Op.137 No.1
8. I Allegro molto
9. II Andante
10. III Allegro vivace

Duo for Violin and Piano in A major, Op.162
11. I Allegro moderato
12. II Scherzo. Presto
13. III Andantino
14. IV Allegro vivace

Josef Suk (violin), Jan Panenka (piano)
Recorded: 1962 - Domovina Studio, Prague

CD V
Claude Debussy
Sonata for Violin and Piano
1. I Allegro vivo
2. II Intermede. Fantasque et léger
3. III Finale. Très animé

4. Clair de lune for Violin and Piano
5. La plus que lente. Waltz for Violin and Piano

Francis Poulenc
Sonata for Violin and Piano
6. I Allegro con fuoco
7. II Intermezzo. Très lent et calme
8. III Presto tragico

César Franck
Sonata for Violin and Piano in A major
9. I Allegretto ben moderato
10. II Allegro
11. III Recitativo – Fantasia
12. IV Allegretto poco mosso

Josef Suk (violin), Jan Panenka (piano), Josef Hála (piano), Alfréd Holeček (piano)
Recorded: 1958, 1956, 1966, 1967 - Domovina Studio, Prague

CD VI
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Duo for Violin and Viola in B flat major, K 424
1. I Adagio. Allegro
2. II Andante cantabile
3. III Thema con variazioni

Arthur Honegger
Sonatina for Violin and Cello
4. I Allegro
5. II Andante – Doppio movimento – Tempo I
6. III Allegro

Zoltán Kodály
Duo for Violin and Cello, Op.7
7. I Allegro serioso, non troppo
8. II Adagio
9. III Maestoso e largamente, ma non troppo lento. Presto

Josef Suk (violin), Milan Škampa (viola), André Navarra (cello)
Recorded at the Domovina Studio, Prague: 1961, 1964