Supraphon at MDT

Of the Supraphon discs listed at MDT that I haven’t seen listed at US sites, I most strongly recommend the Skampa Quartet disc of the two Janacek string quartets:

SU34862 JANACEK String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2 Skampa Quartet Supraphon *offer price* £8.09

This is the most scintillating chamber disc I’ve run across in several years. Like the Vlach, Smetana, and Talich quartets before them, the Skampa are technically accomplished and have that in-the-blood 'Czech rhythmic thing' working for them in spades (I'd define 'Czech rhythmic thing' if I could, but I can't, so I won't), but they trump their predecessors with the sheer energy and daring of their playing. I particularly like their handling of those volatile little outbursts in the third movement of the First Quartet, which are explosive yet clearly defined in their hands. The recorded sound is excellent.

J. R. Robinson Denver, Colorado

According to my dubious calculations, when you figure in shipping charges to the US for just the one disc, CD Music is $1.50 more than MDT and $0.75 more than MusicaBona, another reliable source. [I was going to insert 'Why pay more?' here, but decided not to because you've been such a fine source of recommendations over the years.] Because of the way shipping charges are figured, CD Music is the better deal if you order three discs, however.

J. R. Robinson Denver, Colorado

No Ancerl Gold cds, right?

I'm sure I noticed the Ancerl recording of Ma Vlast in the list - can't double-check as MDT's site seems to have gone down (it must be Sunday!). And I only bought that from MDT a fortnight ago

When I browsed the MDT site last evening, it appeared that they had the Ancerl Gold Edition CDs as well as the previous incarnations of the same recordings, so you'll want to verify the catalog numbers if you decide to order from them. I believe the discs were priced at £5.53 (~$9 US).

J. R. Robinson Denver, Colorado

I do have the discipline required to order 'just the one disc'; unfortunately, I order 'just the one disc' about 365 times per year.

J. R. Robinson Denver, Colorado