 String Serenades by Antonín Dvorák (1841–1904) and Josef Suk (1874–1935) have become a stable part of the repertoire of Czech chamber string orchestras, providing them with an opportunity to prove their performing mastery, and are very popular with the listeners. This album is a re-edition of the recordings by the Czech Chamber Orchestra from 1994 (Dvorák) and 2000 (Suk) that were released in 2001 by WALDMANN label. Along with its re-release on CD by Animal Music it is now being released also on streaming platforms for the first time. “In their pieces, Dvorák and Suk both drew on the older form of classical serenade, a kind of musical diversion in the best sense of the word, a form that reached the peak of its popularity a century earlier as it was performed for the entertainment of the musicians and their music-loving audiences alike,“ says the musicologist Václav Holecek in the album’s liner notes. This recording was made at a time when the Czech Chamber Orchestra performed under the leadership of the conductor, violinist and composer Ondrej Kukal (b. 1964). During his tenure, the orchestra was experiencing its heyday. Interpretatively and dramaturgically, he followed the principles of the orchestra's founder, Václav Talich, who founded the orchestra in 1945 with some of his best students from the Prague Conservatory. Thanks to its rigorous rehearsal routine and precise as well as enthusiastic approach to performance, the orchestra soon won a renown on the Czechoslovak stages and abroad, and collaborated, under Talich’s baton, with foremost international soloists, including Pierre Fournier, Germaine Leroux, and others. The initial phase of the orchestra’s promising career came to an end in 1948, when the Czechoslovak Communist regime banned Václav Talich from performing in public. In 1958, Josef Vlach (1923–1988), the first violin of the original Czech Chamber Orchestra and Talich’s student and collaborator decided to revive his teacher’s initiative. Under Vlach’s leadership, the ensemble appeared on stages in Czechoslovakia, across Europe, Asia and America, and was a regular guest at prestigious festivals, including the Prague Spring Festival and the Salzburg Festival. Collaborations with soloists included Henry Szeryng, Yehudi Menuhin, Leonid Kogan, Ivan Moravec, and Josef Suk, to name just a few. After Josef Vlach’s demise, the Czech Chamber Orchestra performed on irregular basis for some time. Nevertheless, the new first violin, Vlach’s daughter, violinist Jana Vlachová took over the artistic leadership of the orchestra and also followed in the steps of her father and Václav Talich before him. Vlachová invited artists of her own generation into collaboration, among them the conductor, violinist and composer Ondrej Kukal (b. 1964) who became the orchestra’s next leader. Under his leadership between 1993 and 2003, the Czech Chamber Orchestra maintained a regular concert calendar once again. After Ondrej Kukal gradually curtailed his conducting career due to a serious illness (he currently dedicates himself fully to composition), the conductor Andreas Sebastian Weiser collaborated with the orchestra. Today, the Czech Chamber Orchestra performs on special occasions only.
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