Cover of Leoš Janá?ek

Leos Janacek, a Czech composer, completed his Sinfonietta just a couple of years before his death in 1928.

It is over 20 minutes long and consists of five movements, the first of which is bold with horns.  Timbre and harmony delight during the second movement, a brightly sweeping andante creation.   The slower third movement offers romance and gravity, and in the 7-minute fifth movement there is a marvelous Finale.

Janacek wrote Sinfonietta in honor of the Czechoslovak military, but it is much more than a martial opus.  There is something mysterious about, and in, great art, and this piece is no exception.  It’s a wonderland of sound with its own profundity.