Par JANACEK LEOS. Leos Janacek, almost seventy years old, characterised the wind sextet he had just finished as 'a kind of memory of youth' in a letter to Kamila Stösslová. The suite Youth was written in the summer of 1924, prompted by the composer's need to take stock on the occasion of his 70th birthday. Janacek also heard the Parisian ensemble Societe moderne des instruments a vent several times in Salzburg and Brno. He expanded the classic quintet scoring by the addition of a bass clarinet. Janacek referred to an earlier part of his life in this work not only by quoting a theme from March of the Blue Boys, but particularly through his general freshness ofexpression, astute humour and use of form which adhered to the classical style. The piece was enthusiastically received by both critics and the public and appeared in print as early as 1925 issued by the Prague publisher Hudebni matice. Wind sextet in the classical style Urtext based on the Critical Complete Edition of the Works of Leos Janacek New foreword by Jiri Zahradka (Cz/Eng/Ger)/ Répertoire / Ensemble à Vent

The little march composed in 1924 forms the nucleus of the suite for wind instruments Mládí (HN 1093/7093), in which the jaunty flute theme weaves through the 3rd movement. Incidentally, the 'bluebirds? do not refer to birds but to the light blue robes worn by the choristers at the monastery in Brno, which Janá?ek entered at the age of eleven. Almost 60 years later during a visit to Potsdam he remembered the Prussian troops' invasion of Brno and, with this in mind, wrote a chamber music miniature with a military element. Our Janá?ek edition by Ji?í Zahrádka, a specialist on the life and work of the great Czech composer, contains top-quality Urtext as well as detailed information on the work's genesis and transmission. / Piccolo Et Piano