Classical Music | Piano Music

Leoš Janáček

In the Mists  Play

Amber Yiu-Hsuan Liao Piano

Recorded on 06/18/2014, uploaded on 11/06/2014

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

I.     Andante
II.    Molto adagio
III.   Andantino
IV.    Presto

At the age of 58, Leoš Janáček was near retirement but remained almost unknown to the general public. In spite of a successful Brno premier of Jenůfa, his most significant work up to this date, the opera was rejected by the National Theater in Prague. His thirty years of marriage to Zdenka Schulzová was falling apart and a few years earlier, he suffered the death of his daughter Olga, who perished after a long illness. In the Mists is a portrait of the darkest moments in Janáček's life. Disappointed by his personal life and career, he composed this wistful, poignant and extremely moving piece of music. It is the last of Janáček's major piano works, and is representative of the composer's mature style. The influence of Moravian folk music is evident in its rhythmic, melodic and harmonic construction. Instrumental writing imitating bagpipe and dulcimer, which are key components of a Moravian folk band, can be heard in all movements.     Amber Liao