From the Homeland

Craig J Stratton - Violin

2005 The Classical Recording Company

Available on www.classicalrecording.co.uk
or www.czecheverything.co.uk.


"Stratton’s affection for this lyrical tradition is evident in his playing style"

Classic Fm Magazine


To hear audio clips, please go to the Audio page.


In December 2004, Craig released his first CD of Czech romantic music called "From the Homeland". The idea was also to bring the majority of these relatively unknown works into more mainstream repertoire.

The CD contains romantic works by composers such as Suk, Smetana, Dvorak and Martinu as well as slightly less known Czech composers, Fibich and Fiser, the latter of which has over three hundred film score titles to his name. The repertoire of these composers is hugely patriotic and nostalgic and when one looks at the surroundings and architecture of Prague and its countryside it is not hard to see why.

The music itself often reflects its history, folk melodies and rich fairytales. Although Martinu for example wrote much of his works in America including the Czech Rhapsody, one can hear the driving rhythms of Czech folk dances in the music. The Amoroso by Fiser and the "Fairytale" by Suk are examples of Czech nostalgia with their luxuriously romantic melodies.


Recorded at St. Nicolas Church, Taplow, Berkshire, UK

Sholto Kynoch - Piano
Julian Millard - Engineer
Chris Koh - producer