Dvořák & Suk: Sérénades tchèques Appassionata Chamber Orchestra & Daniel Myssyk

• Josef Suk (1874-1935): Serenade in E-Flat Major, Op. 6:
• 1Suk: Serenade in E-Flat Major, Op. 6: I. Andante con moto05:04
• 2Suk: Serenade in E-Flat Major, Op. 6: II. Allegro ma non troppo e grazioso05:31
• 3Suk: Serenade in E-Flat Major, Op. 6: III. Adagio09:56
• 4Suk: Serenade in E-Flat Major, Op. 6: IV. Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo presto07:17
• Antonin Dvorák (1841-1904): Serenade in E Major, Op. 22, B. 52:
• 5Dvořák: Serenade in E Major, Op. 22, B. 52: I. Moderato04:39
• 6Dvořák: Serenade in E Major, Op. 22, B. 52: II. Tempo di valse06:47
• 7Dvořák: Serenade in E Major, Op. 22, B. 52: III. Scherzo. Vivace05:10
• 8Dvořák: Serenade in E Major, Op. 22, B. 52: IV. Larghetto05:51
• 9Dvořák: Serenade in E Major, Op. 22, B. 52: V. Finale. Allegro vivace06:08
• Nocturne in B major, Op. 40, B. 47 (1882):
• 10Dvořák: Nocturne in B major, Op. 40, B. 47 (1882)07:38
• Total Runtime01:04:01

Info for Dvořák & Suk: Sérénades tchèques

Described by La Presse as “impeccable in every respect,” Montreal’s exciting young chamber orchestra Appassionata presents a radiant new recording, Sérénades tchèques (Czech serenades) featuring music for string orchestra by Josef Suk and Antonin Dvořák, under the direction of its Music Director Daniel Myssyk. Praised by Radio-Canada for its “fluidity, drama and conviction,” the recording also boasts spectacular gleaming sound, due to a unique X2HD recording process by the Montreal label Fidelio. The sound on the new recording is described by Fanfare as “simply astounding … the disc opens on a soundstage of such breadth, depth, clarity, and transparency that all sense of speakers, amplifiers, and other electronics between you and the orchestra quite literally disappears. You are there.”

Following their critically-acclaimed debut recording Idyla—a 2010 Opus Prize finalist for best album—featuring music by Janáček, Appassionata and Myssyk plunge back into the Czech Romantic repertoire. Josef Suk’s joyful Serenade for Strings in E flat major, Op.6 is imbued with grace and finesse, followed by the sheer exuberance of Dvořák’s Serenade for Strings in E major, Op.22 and that composer’s intimate and haunting Nocturne for Strings in B major, Op.40. “Working and reworking these serenades, we came to believe that it is truly possible to evoke the spirit of these composers,” says Myssyk, “In our recording sessions for these great dramatic works we created a feeling of osmosis similar to that of actors who spend weeks in rehearsal before the premiere.”

The night, when our gaze turns inward, is a wondrous time for thoughts and emotions to be transformed. Will nights be filled with anguish? Will they be serene? In their serenades for strings, Antonin Dvorák and Josef Suk both chose the latter. Indeed, the original Italian word serenata literally meant “serene night” although in music, the word “serenade” designates a composition to be played outdoors in the evening, as opposed to the aubade, which was to be played in the morning. In the Romantic era, the serenade had evolved into a light instrumental genre for a limited number of instruments and, unlike the drama and intensity of the large-scale symphony, was distinguished by its simplicity and nostalgic character. This mood appropriately describes the present album which also features Dvorák’s Nocturne, a brief, expressively contiguous composition unfolding like a thought shared in all confidence and rightfully belonging in this collection of night pieces.

Daniel Myssyk, conductor
Appassionata Chamber Orchestra

This recording was done with the Schoeps M222 (tube) microphones connected to tubed preamplifiers and linked directly to a DCS 905 analog to digital converter with a 24-Bit/192 kHz resolution with the DCS Scarlatti clock. A Pyramix Mykerinos (Masscore) recorder completed the recording arsenal. Fidelio Musique’s recording technique for this album is identical to the one used by Mercury records during the sixties.

Appassionata
is a chamber orchestra that founder Daniel Myssyk has directed with passion for the past eleven years. Composed of twenty talented musicians, the orchestra annually presents some fifteen concerts of the highest quality in Quebec and more recently, in the United States. Specializing in the classical period, Appassionata is motivated by the desire to bring music to as many people as possible, while renewing interest in the concert experience. Aware of the artistic and social role that an orchestra can play in its community, Appassionata supports the creation of Canadian compositions and the emergence of new talents by means of original artistic associations. The orchestra also annually produces an important youth series for elementary school students. Regularly aired on Espace musique, Appassionata accompanies internationally renowned soloists including John Zirbel, Yehonatan Berick and Richard Raymond. The release of its first CD, Idyla, was well-received by Canadian and American critics alike and was a finalist for the OPUS Prize in 2010.

Daniel Myssyk - Conductor
Daniel Myssyk conducts repertoire from the classical, romantic, modern and contemporary periods with great attention to stylistic appropriate- ness. He maintains a consistent and continuous engagement with Opera and operatic excerpts in a variety of styles from Mozart to Menotti, from Gilbert & Sullivan to Strauss. Sensitive to the music of our times, he has contributed to the creation of many contemporary North-American works, including the world-premiere of Anthony Brandt’s opera, “The Birth of Something”.

Conductor Daniel Myssyk is founder and artistic director of the Orchestre de chambre Appassionata. He is also Assistant Professor and Director of Orchestral Activities at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia.

Recent engagements include his debut with the Richmond Symphony Orchestra and the All-Virginia State Symphony. He brought the Montreal based, Appassionata on its first American tour in January 2012, which included two concerts in Richmond. His first appearance with the Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal was in February 2012.

His recordings have received critical acclaim. In 2010, his CD, Idyla (Fidelio), was nominated for an Opus Prize as best recording of the year. His latest recording, features American trumpet player Rex Richardson ( Summit Records). Myssyk recently completed the recording of serenades for strings by Suk and Dvorak, scheduled for release (Fidelio) in 2012-13.

Among the highlights of the past few years, Myssyk has been musical director of the premiere of American composer Anthony Brandt’s chamber opera, “The Birth of Something”, for Da Camera of Houston. He has been guest conductor of Houston’s River Oaks Chamber Orchestra. In June 2007, he made his debut at the Round Top International Festival (Texas) and later that summer served as associate conductor of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. During the 2007-2008 season, he was a guest of Ottawa’s Thirteen Strings, the Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières and the Festival international de Lanaudière.

Daniel Myssyk studied conducting under the greatest masters, most notably David Zinman and Tomas Koutnik . He did a Master’s degree under Larry Rachleff at Rice University and served as his assistant for two years with the Shepherd School Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, two orchestras that bring together some of the finest music students from the United States and abroad.

Booklet for Dvořák & Suk: Sérénades tchèques