Novák R. Portrait / R.Novák bass / BSPO, PP / F.Jílek, T.Hanus (2CD)

CD 1

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Don Giovanni. Opera in 2 Acts, K. 527

1. Act 1 "Madamina, il catalogo e questo" 05:29

Antonín Dvořák - Rusalka. Opera in 3 Acts, Op. 114

2. Act 2 "Pitiful Rusalka pallid" 05:39

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Eugene Onegin. The Opera in 3 Acts, Op. 24

3. Act 3 "Ljubvi vse vozrasty pokorny" 05:39

Mikhail Glinka - Ruslan and Ludmila. Opera

4. Act 2 "Vremen' ot vechnoy temnoty" 05:37

Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky - Boris Godunov. Opera in 4 Acts

5. Act 2 "Dostig ja vysshej vlasti" 05:48

Jacques Offenbach - Les contes d'Hoffmann. Opera in 4 Acts

6. Act 2 "Allez! Ah! C'est moi qu'on défie? ... Scintille, diamant" 04:21

Giuseppe Verdi - Don Carlos. Opera in 5 Acts

7. Act 3 "Ella giammai m' amo'" 08:26

Giuseppe Verdi - Simone Boccanegra. Opera

8. Proloque "A te l'estremo addio ... Il lacerato spirito" 05:05

Giuseppe Verdi - Macbeth. Opera

9. Act 2 "Studia il passo, o mio figlio" 04:31

Giuseppe Verdi - Luisa Miller. Opera

10. Act 1 "Ah, tutto m'arride ... Il mio sangue la vita darci" 04:43

Richard Wagner - Die Walküre. Opera in 3 Acts

11. Act 3 "Leb' wohl, du kühnes, herrliches Kind" 13:32

Leoš Janáček - The Cunning Little Vixen. Opera in 3 Acts

12. Act 3 "Is it a fairy-tale or is it all true?" 04:27

CD 2

Hugo Wolf - Mörike - Lieder. Selection

1. Verborgenheit 02:58

2. Denk' es, o Seele! 03:22

3. Neue Liebe 03:19

4. Wo find' ich Trost 05:11

Franz Schubert - Schwanengesang, D. 957

5. Der Atlas 02:27

6. Ihr Bild 03:11

7. Das Fischermädchen 01:57

8. Die Stadt 03:10

9. Am Meer 04:28

10. Der Doppelgänger 04:35

11. Die Taubenpost 03:26

Jaroslav Křička - Nothern Nights. Songs to poems by Konstantin Balmont, Op. 14

12. Albatross 03:59

13. Swan 02:45

14. Lullaby 02:56

15. Scandinavian Rocks 02:46

Antonín Dvořák - Biblical Songs. On text of Bible of Kralice, Op. 99 (B185)

16. Darkness and thunderclouds are round about Him. Andantino 02:12

17. Lord my shield, my refuge and hope art Thou. Andante 02:03

18. Hear, oh hear my prayer, Lord my God. Andante 03:03

19. Oh, my shepherd is the Lord. Andante 03:05

20. Songs of gladness will I sing Thee. Risoluto maestoso 02:36

21. Hear, oh Lord, my bitter cry. Andante 02:57

22. By the shore of the river Babylon. Andante 03:09

23. Oh, Lord, have mercy and turn Thou Thy face to me. Andante 03:04

24. My eyes will I to the hills lift up. Andante con moto 02:10

25. Oh, sing unto the Lord a joyful song. Allegro moderato 02:06

Richard Novák - bass

Brno Janáček Opera Orchestra; Brno Janáček Opera Choir; Gerhard Zeller - piano

Brno Philharmonic, conductors František Jílek, Miroslav Hoňka, Jan Štych, Jaroslav Kyzlink

Prague Philharmonia, conductor Tomáš Hanus

CD 1 recorded at the Stadion Studio, Brno, 1978 (1, 2, 5, 7, 10, 11, 12), 1971 (9), 1977 (4), Czech Radio Brno 1983 (3), 1982 (6) and live at the Janáček Theatre, Brno, October 9, 2003 (8), CD 2 recorded at the Domovina Studio, Prague, August, 1975 (1-11), December 1975 (12-15), and live in Rudolfinum, Prague, October 13, 2001 (16-25)

Backed up by the Czech Philharmonic, the 85-year-old Richard Novák sings the part of the Forester from the Cunning Little Vixen in a way that leaves you gaping in admiration. His performance is a witness not only to his singing skill, but also his life experience. The fact that he was lucky to find great music teachers has combined with persistence and hard work on his part. He was not afraid to interrupt his singing career at its apparent height when he felt his voice was losing inner support, and start anew. In 1961 he won second place in a singing competition in Toulouse (with José van Dame taking the first place) and became a laureate in the competition held in the Dutch city of Hertogenbosch in 1962. Dvořák, Verdi and Janáček represent the three supporting pillars of his repertoire and at the same time his three major musical loves.

Novák sang as a guest in Teatro Colón, at the Salzburg Festival under Claudio Abbado and also appeared on prestigious stages in Paris, Madrid and Venice. He has collaborated with many outstanding conductors, having sung oratorios under Ančerl and Neumann and recorded the Glagolitic Mass with both Mackerras and Chailly. One must not forget to mention his beloved song repertoire including works by Schubert, Schumann, Wolf, Křička, and, first and foremost, Dvořák's Biblical Songs. The double CD featuring a selection of Novák's recordings with Supraphon and the Czech Radio is meant as homage to the admirable singer and personality on the occasion of his life anniversary. In light of his excellent condition, however, it seems somewhat premature to congratulate him on his life-time achievement.

A Portrait of an Artist Who Found His Own Path.

(Supraphon 2016)