Symphonic Fantasy from Opera Jenůfa - Leoš Janáček / arr. Iša Krejčí
Iša Krejčí (1904-1968) throughout his whole life divided his artistic activities between composing and conducting. Symphonic Fantasy from Opera Jenůfa by Leoš Janáček creates de facto some kind of imaginary link between these two main professions.
He created more orchestra arrangements of opera music – i.e. suites from early Dvořák’s operas The Stubborn Lovers and The Cunning Peasant or from Kovařovic‘s The Dogheads. The exact time of the origin of these arrangements is not known and even Holzknecht’s monography on Iša Krejčí does not list these arrangements in the listing of his works. Most likely he composed them when he worked as a conductor.
The Fantasy is created on the principle of pasticcio, in this case a very responsively composed sequence of characteristic scenes from the opera. The structure of the movement is homogenous, symphonic indeed in terms of intertwined ideas of individual parts. The joint are almost invisible, the music stream develops continuously in several escalating waves. Krejčí chooses characteristic motives and whole extensive parts from all three acts of the opera. What is important for him is musical affinity and the ability to smoothly build, cultivate and escalate the composition.
Krejčí respects Janáček‘s original instrumentation. In the parts that are sung in the original version he very responsively chooses an instrumental substitution of voices. The composition begins with a rather ominously mysterious introduction of the second act whereas in the final part the final scene unequivocally dominates. In the very last part Krejčí respects also the famous and successful Janáček’s imitative descant that adds sound homogeneity and coveted monumental climax. In condensed time of fifteen minutes the audience can get acquinted with the quintessence of music content of this Janáček’s masterwork.
Parts only for hire at nakladatelstvi@rozhlas.cz
Other compositons by Iša Krejčí published in Czech Radio:
Christmas Day Romance, op. 155 - Josef Bohuslav Foerster
Louise's polka, From student's life, Jiřinková polka - Bedřich Smetana
Quartett in D
Symphony No. 3
Three Piano Scherzina
Trio Divertimento
Other compositions by Leoš Janáček published in Czech Radio:
Organ Works - Leoš Janáček / ed. Jan Hora