Leo Janek - In the Mists

“In the Mists“ is a piano cycle by Czech composer Leoš Janáček. It was composed in 1912, some years after Janáček had suffered the death of his daughter Olga and while his operas were still being rejected by the Prague opera houses; all four movements are anchored in “misty“ keys with five or six flats; characteristic of the cycle are the frequent changes of meter. Czech musicologist Jiří Zahrádka compared the atmosphere of the cycle to the impressionist compositions, in particular those of Claude Debussy. The première took place on December 7, 1913, when Marie Dvořáková played it at a concert organized by the choral society Moravan in Kroměříž. The cycle is divided into four movements: I. Andante II. Molto adagio III. Andantino IV. Presto Picture: “Snow at Argenteuil“ by Claude Monet. Pianist: Paul Crossley.