Suk: Symphony No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 27 "Asrael" (Live)

Featuring

Jakub Hrůša
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Josef Suk

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Recording & Production

This recording of Suk's Asrael Symphony was captured live in Munich's Philharmonie im Gasteig between October 18-20, 2018.

Composer Biography

Josef Suk, a Bohemian composer and violinist, is considered an important musical link between his teacher Antonín Dvořák and his pupil Bohuslav Martinů, bridging Czech Late Romanticism and Czech Modernism.

Performer Biography

Jakub Hrůša, the conductor on this recording, is the Chief Conductor of the Bamberg Symphony, Principal Guest Conductor of the Philharmonia Orchestra, and Principal Guest Conductor of the Czech Philharmonic.

Composition History

Suk began the Asrael Symphony in 1904 after the death of his father-in-law and teacher Dvořák, but the sudden death of his wife Otilie a year later gave the work a new direction.

Compositional Technique

The Asrael Symphony features a 'fate motif' that wanders throughout the work, first appearing in the violas, cellos, and bass clarinet at the very beginning.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Suk intended the symphony to be a 'work of superhuman strength,' not merely a work of pain, despite the personal tragedies that inspired it.

Composer's Artistic Vision

The title of Suk's Symphony No. 2, 'Asrael,' refers to the angel of death from Islamic-Persian mythology, who guides the human soul from this world to the next.