When we think today of the legacy of Leoš Janáček (1854-1928), it is the late masterpieces that most readily come to mind. However, the staple repertoire for string orchestras includes Janáček’s exquisitely crafted youthful compositions: Suite and Idyll (c. 1880). His earliest compositions come from his student years, with Znělka (1875), for four violins, being one of the most interesting. The disc’s final work, in an arrangement for string orchestra, is the great First String Quartet (1923).
