My new favourite Taras Bulba, elevated by superb orchestral playing and the most emotional (and least repetitive) ending I’ve yet heard. The Lachian Dances and my favourite cover painting of 2012 don’t hurt. © 2012 MusicWeb International

Antoni Wit has become one of my favorite modern conductors; in fact, he’s one of those go-to people when I am looking for any sort of offbeat Eastern European orchestral music, because everything he performs is of a very high order. Yet, in a way, Wit has surpassed even himself with this incredible disc…the incredible detailing of this performance, combined with Wit’s usual sweep and flowing lines, produces a performance like no other. There’s no other way to put it—the music comes alive in such a way that it sounds as if the musicians in the Warsaw Philharmonic are playing their hearts out on each and every note. There’s also a very fine version of this piece by Jonathan Nott with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra on Tudor 7135, but it’s not like this. Charles Mackerras was considered one of the finest interpreters of Taras Bulba, and left us recordings of it, but they don’t come close (in my estimation) to the wonderful feeling and detail of the Wit or Ancerl versions.

With that in mind, I am also able to appreciate Wit’s performances of the lighter Lachian and Moravian Dances, which he also performs with a combination of elegance and élan…an outstanding recording. © 2012 Fanfare Read complete review

…Leoš Janácek’s…highly original music…is the subject of a new CD release from Naxos. Opening with the rhapsody Taras Bulba, esteemed conductor Antoni Wit expertly guides the instrumentalists of the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra through a highly romanticized historical saga, based on a novella by Russian writer Nikolai Gogol. First movement solos by English horn, violin and oboe articulate sublime pathos evoking twin passions of love and war, while still allowing the nuanced personality of the individual player to shine. Later, a battle rages, and trombones sound the war-cry of the composition’s titular character, who eventually meets his horrific demise during the final section of the piece, amid a stirring eulogy of brass, organ and bells. Other highlights of the recording include a suite of five Moravian Dances, which demonstrates beyond any doubt Janácek’s fondness for the indigenous traditions of his native Czechoslovakia, as well as his ability to translate that affection into music everybody could enjoy. A revelation. © 2012 Scene Magazine Read complete review

Here we have Lachian and Moravian dances…all played with evident exhilaration by a Polish conductor and orchestra. The sound in general is warm and vivid, and Antoni Wit has a sure hand with all Janáček’s demands.

Taras Bulba brings together Janáček’s love of Russian literature and his ability to turn the most unlikely subject matter into music of astonishing power © 2012 BBC Music Magazine

…this is an absolutely superb release, with a sterling recording of a 20th-century orchestral standard paired with enjoyable early works of the composer on the program, Leos Janáček. The Warsaw Philharmonic is not the Berlin Philharmonic, but is arguably more comfortable in Eastern European repertory, and the beautifully controlled moods in the opening movement of the orchestral rhapsody Taras Bulba (Death of Andrij) are compelling indeed. The Lachian Dances of 1889-1890 are crisp, colorful examples of the late 19th-century orchestral miniature. Much rarer are the Moravian Dances of 1891, which show Janáček departing ever farther from Dvořák’s models. Wit seems to hold all this music in the palm of his hand and to be playing the orchestra like a giant musical instrument. The sound is quite good, and Naxos’ engineers fuse the sound environments of the two venues (the Warsaw Philharmonic Hall and the Witold Lutoslawski Studio of Polish Radio) effectively. Highly recommended. © 2012 Allmusic.com Read complete review

…I am very happy with the Lachian Dances here. I like Serebrier on Reference (gorgeous sound) and Albrecht on Orfeo (sound and interpretation very lively), but I think Wit is slightly better than either. Wit’s violins sound Czech—sound the way violins should sound in Dvorák and Janácek. The others don’t cultivate that wild, almost manic sound; they are better behaved and blend normally. © 2012 American Record Guide