Fibich: Orchestral Works, Vol. 3: Othello; Záboj, Slavoj and Ludek; Toman and the Wood Nymph; The Tempest; Spring—Czech National Symphony, Marek Stilec, conductor (Naxos 573197)
Young Marek Stilec (he’s 30 this year) made his conducting debut at the age of 18 in a concert broadcast live by Czech Radio. He worked with Michael Tilson Thomas at the San Francisco Symphony from 2010 and in January 2014 conducted the New World Symphony. A rising star, he has signed an 8-album contract with Naxos to record the complete orchestral works of Zdenek Fibich with the Czech National Symphony in a project that was launched in February 2012. Of the five symphonic poems included on this disc, one is a timely nature study ( Spring), two are inspired by Shakespeare whose birthday is this month ( Othello and The Tempest), and two are inspired by either a genuine Czech tale ( Toman and the Wood Nymph) or what could be spurious national epics ( Záboj, Slavoj and Ludek).
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