Things Lived and Dreamt—Francine Kay, piano (Analeka) 9004)
Canadian pianist Francine Kay performs favorites and seldom-heard works by Czech composers is this January release from Analekta Records. In addition to three Humoresques by Dvorák (including the ever-popular No. 7) and Smetana’s Polka No. 2, the collection shines a light on Josef Suk's piano cycle that lends its name to the album. Things Lived and Dreamt Op 30 is a set of ten fantastical pieces that the composer himself described as “a sort of artist’s diary.” Another highlight is April Preludes by Vítezslava Kaprálová (1915-1940), a student of Bohuslav Martinů. “If it hadn’t been for her premature death in 1940 at the young age of twenty-five, Vítezslava Kaprálová would undoubtedly have become a major figure in 20th century music,” according to the site Music Web International. Leos Janácek's great Sonata 1.X.1905 ‘From the Street’ commemorates the death of a Moravian carpenter, killed on October 1, 1905 during a demonstration in support of a Czech university in Brno, an event Janácek himself witnessed. Francine Kay is on the faculty of Princeton University and concertizes around the world.