Credits:

Reznicek (1860-1945)

Description:

Emil Nikolaus von Reznicek, a descendant of Czech nobility, aspired to become a musician. He served as conductor at numerous theaters, and from 1886 to 1894 he was music director of the Prague Opera House, where he achieved success with his own opera, "Donna Diana". As a composer, he concentrated mainly on orchestral works and operas, leaving little chamber music or solo pieces, of which this album contains a rare string quartet. For him, composition was always a game of ideas, and the overture to "Donna Diana" was so easy to compose that he says he wrote it in five minutes while smoking a cigar. Nevertheless, the results of Reznicek's deliberation can be seen in his early works modeled on Beethoven's, as well as in his later works, which show his matured style. Naxos Japan