Janáček: Glagolitic Mass; Taras Bulba; Sinfonietta; The Fiddler’s Child

Known in particular for his operas *Káťa Kabanová*, *Jenufa*, and *The Cunning Little Vixen*, and the piano cycle *On an Overgrown Path*, Janáček’s 1926 *Glagolitic Mass* is perhaps less often performed. But it makes a stunning centerpiece to this album, which also includes the powerful *Taras Bulba* and the thrilling *Sinfonietta*, composed in the same year. Based on an old-church Slavonic text, the *Mass* was composed by the atheist Janáček for orchestra, double chorus, soloists, and organ. Its raw power and fervent emotional language can make a huge impact in a great performance, as you’ll hear, as Jiří Bělohlávek and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, in fantastic form, are joined by a roster of superb singers, choral and solo.