Novák: Slovak Songs

Featuring

Eva Garajová
Miroslav Sekera
Vítězslav Novák

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Composer Biography

Vítězslav Novák is considered the founder of 20th-century Czech song, having composed 131 songs and arranged 208 folk songs, mostly from Slovakia.

Performer Biography

Pianist Miroslav Sekera, a prize-winner of several international competitions, notably played the role of young Mozart in Miloš Forman's Oscar-winning film 'Amadeus'.

Performer Biography

Mezzosoprano Eva Garajová, a soloist with major orchestras, gave the world premiere of a selection of Novák's Slovak Songs in their orchestral version at the Music of Thousands Mahler Jihlava 2020 Festival.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Novák's approach to these songs involved a deep psychological immersion into the folklore and an artistic completion of its messages, ensuring the folk-like character of the text was never lost.

Composition History

This album presents the historically first complete recording of Vítězslav Novák's 80 Slovak Songs, written between 1901 and 1930.

Compositional Technique

Novák's piano accompaniments in these songs often imitate folk instruments like fiddles, bagpipes, and cymbaloms, and can include newly composed themes or quotes from other folk tunes.

Composer Biography

Vítězslav Novák, a pupil of Antonín Dvořák, regularly explored Moravian and Slovak folklore from 1896, which became a permanent feature of his composing style.