Just about 27, Czech violinist Josef Spacek is already concertmaster of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and star of his third CD, an impressive album of sonatas by Leos Janácek and Sergei Prokofiev and two bonbons by Bedrich Smetana for the Supraphon label.
Spacek is one of those remarkable few who can play 20th century music with steely determination while never leaving an easy lyricism too far behind.
He is still in his big-competition years, but plays with a measured maturity that suggests someone with a lot of experience.
The two Prokofiev works were completed within a year of each other, right after World War II, but couldn’t be more different. The accompanied sonata is dark, while the unaccompanied work is all light and brilliance. Both are kaleidoscopic showcases of a player’s technique, which Spacek has in abundance.
The Janácek work is complex as it works its way through four contrasting movements. It is at once austere and rich, and allows Spacek to really play his gift for blending power and lyricism in a display of awesome control over his bow.
In the accompanied pieces, Spacek gets strong support from pianist Miroslav Sekera.
For more information on the album, including audio samples and a cutely awkward promotional video, click here.
Here is Spacek playing Maurice Ravel’s Tzigane at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Belgium last year:
John Terauds