this is one of the greatest symphonies ever written and probably my absolute favourite. The transition to the conciliatory coda in the last movement is one of the most moving in all music. The benchmark recording has always been Talich but perhaps the least appreciated of all Suk conductors is Walter Weller who was a huge advocate for this composer. I heard him do both Asrael and Ripening live and the former -- done only a few months before his death -- was among the most memorable concerts in my life. The recording matches it pretty closely.

 

Very nice. We're in no shortage of recordings of Asrael Symphony. I've got that Weller recording, but what about Neumann, Mackerras, Ashkenazy, Ančerl et. al.? I can't say I'm fond of the Talich because of the audio deficiencies of the recording itself. The performance is great from what I can tell, but I can't really stand listening to it.

 

I didn't know Ashkenazy had done it (and I doubt it's anything special as he's usually a competent but fairly superficial conductor in my experience) but have heard most of the better known competition at least in part, though with the increasing popularity of the symphony, there is far more competition than there used to be. Pesek was my first stereo recording and is decent, though he tends to be a good second rate conductor rather than a really inspired one. Neumann is very good in Epilog where there's less competition and his Asrael is not bad (in general he's a better conductor than UK critics in particular have tended to give credit for). I never got on with Kubelik particularly for some reason and Mackerras is dramatic and perhaps a bit unsubtle as is usually the case with him. Ancerl is a great conductor but tend to be at his best in feverishly exciting music (such as the Fantasy for violin and orchestra or Glagolitic Mass where he's without equal)-- he doesn't quite have the repose for the coda for instance. My wife bought the Valek which is among the best, I'd say

The sound is certainly not ideal with Talich but is adequate. An indication of the stature of this greatest of all Czech conductors is that no-one else's Suk String Serenade gets within a million miles of him -- there the sonic deficiencies are less of an issue.

 

There are now two Ančerl recordings, so I'm curious if you know the newer stereo recording from SWR Music that came out fairly recently?

 

Ashkenazy's Asreal just sends me to another dimension entirely. What an amazing piece of work he left us with in his time of grief.

 

FWIW, Kirill Petrenko did a really good Asrael with the Berlin Philharmonic, it's available in the Digital Concert Hall. Petrenko seems to have long had an interest in Suk going back to his early conducting years.

 

How about recorded performances on CD?

 

I need to give this one a few more spins. After just two listening sessions I'm far from really knowing the piece. I have the Pesek / Royal Liverpool recording.

 

I tried fairly hard to like it over the years, but my ultimate reaction has been lukewarm. It should be right my alley music style wise, but my reaction to it is always kinda, sorta, maybe .... lukewarm.

 

Next, 'haziz' will be tellin' us he doesn't like Suk's The Ripening, Enescu's 3rd symphony & Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal.

 

Asrael is such a powerful, moving piece, although it can also emotionally quite draining, so it is not always a pleasurable experience...! Fascinating to see so many different preferences here, but this probably also reflects the fact that nobody has recorded it "for fun", there aren't any perfunctory recordings out there as far as I am concerned, and some truly great ones. Talich was always the benchmark, but I am clearly not the only one who finds the sound quality a big disadvantage, and the same goes for both of the relatively recent releases of two Karel Ančerl performances. The Baden-Baden one is preferable, the Czech Phil one no better sound-wise than Talich...but it's Ančerl, seriously worth hearing.

My top recordings would have to include Rafael Kubelík, which is maybe now the "benchmark"? But the Mackerras version (his final recording, I believe?) and the live BRSO one from Jakub Hrůša are also outstanding. The three I don't particularly like would have to be Petrenko (I will seek out the Berlin Phil one Becca mentions), the Decca one from Bělohlávek (very subdued) and Libor Pešek (a bit extrovert?!) . But none are "bad", and the likes of Ashkenazy, Weller, Netopil, Neumann, Bělohlávek on Chandos and on Supraphon all have huge plusses, and shouldn't be ignored.

 

I tend to agree here. I’m a fan of neither Petrenko nor Belohlavek and from what I remember, these recordings didn’t change the general view. I have Pesek who’s by no means bad but not among the most interesting.

 

I have tried to like the Asrael Symphony over the years however the composition has never really clicked for me.

 

Thats kind of how i feel about it as well. Kind of meanders a bit.

 

Just on Hrůša, I’ve yet to listen to that one. It’s a great shame that he’ll be doing it at the Edinburgh Festival just a few days before I can get there.

The fact that there are different views on Asrael is hardly surprising— I doubt there’s a single work in the repertoire we’re all agreed on. And discussions would be dull if we did!

 

Just on Hrůša, I’ve yet to listen to that one. It’s a great shame that he’ll be doing it at the Edinburgh Festival just a few days before I can get there.

The fact that there are different views on Asrael is hardly surprising— I doubt there’s a single work in the repertoire we’re all agreed on. And discussions would be dull if we did!

I haven't heard his Exton recording, which was earlier than the Bavarian one. Apparently there's a Czech Phil recording in the pipeline, I expect it'll come out on Supraphon. Hrůša is 42 years old. And three recordings of this piece already.....

 

Asrael is a sprawling work, and maybe people find it a bit too diffuse to like it. I love it. I think it's a magnificent sprawling work. That said, I think it needs a stern hand on the rudder to steer it home in performances and recordings.

The first recording I heard was Pisek's. He achieves dark hued textures that are wholly appropriate. I prefer other recordings now, but still enjoy this one.

As others have said, Talich is a benchmark, but bad sound precludes me from listening to the whole symphony in a single sitting.

MacKerras was a disappointment to me. There are a lot of beautiful passages, but it all sounds a bit soft-cored to me. I should listen to it again, just in case it was my attention wandering, rather than the performance.

Ancerl with SWR, on the other hand, presents a clear-eyed dramatic reading. He covers the wide range of moods and emotions, savouring each passage as it comes, and yet keeps taut control over the entire structure. More spectacular sound can be found elsewhere, but this is a winner.

Neumann, Weller and Behalovek are all worth listening to, but I don't think compare to Ancerl or even Pisek. I don't know the Kubelik, Petrenko or Hrusa recordings.

The Ashkenazy recording was a real surprise. I had been impressed with his Decca Sibelius, but after that most of his recordings seemed fairly anodyne. But Asrael seems to have called very powerful impulses from him. Highly recommended.

Another surprise is a recording not yet mentioned: Claus Peter Flor with the Malaysian Philharmonic on BIS. A cogent powerful reading. Who cares that the orchestra may not be at home with the Czech idiom? They play their hearts out. This recording is actually a testament to the universality of the emotions contained in Asrael.

 

The Libor Pešek recording is one I listen to most often