Janáček: Glagolitic Mass; Taras Bulba; Sinfonietta; The Fiddler’s Child

Known in particular for his operas Káťa Kabanová, Jenufa and The Cunning Little Vixen, and the piano cycle On an Overgrown Path, Janáček’s 1926 Glagolitic Mass is perhaps less often performed. But it makes a stunning centrepiece to this album, which also includes the powerful Taras Bulba and the thrilling Sinfonietta, composed in the same year. Based on an old-church Slavonic text, the Mass was composed by the atheist Janáček for orchestra, double chorus, soloists and organ. Its raw power and fervent emotional language can make a huge impact in a great performance, as you’ll hear, as Jiří Bělohlávek and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, on fantastic form, are joined by a roster of superb singers, choral and solo.