Don Satz had just bought:

>Suk's Epilogue and FairyTale on Virgin conducted by Pesek

Coincidentally, I've just ordered it from a mail order sale - my first
encounter with Pesek's Suk.

>Concerning Suk, I'd appreciate some feedback on what you think of his music
>and recommended recordings.

Glorious!  My favourites are the Asrael Symphony, about an hour's worth
of late Romantic drama, the Fairy Tale, A Summer Tale (with a strange
Sibelian lament for two cors anglais) and his unaccountably neglected
Fantasy for Violin and Orch - I know lots of music is said to be
unaccountably neglected but this really is, by turns passionate and lush
enough for any unreconstructed Romantic!.  There are also a symphony in E,
a symphonic poem called Ripening, Praga, a nice tribute, a Fantastic
Scherzo for orchestra, four pieces for violin and piano. All my copies of
these are on Supraphon and were the only available versions at the time I
acquired them.  They're variously conducted by Pesek and Vaclav Neumann.
I'm not sure whether they're all still available, but I'm more than happy
with them.  Pesek has recorded most of these for Virgin to favourable
reviews but the only one I've heard is his Asrael.  I can't comment on
other versions but if Dvorak and Smetana are your pleasure, then so is Suk.
I also have distant favourable memories of having heard a string quartet
and, I think, a piano quintet.

Richard Pennycuick
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