MARTINU: Overture; Piano Concerto No. 2; The Frescoes of Piero della Francesca; Piano Concerto No. 4 “Incantation” – Robert Kolinsky, piano/ Sinfonieorchester Basel/Vladimir Ashkenazy – Ondine ODE 1158-2 [Distr. by Naxos] ****:
When Bohuslav Martinu (1890-1959) died, his friend and colleague Marced Mihalovici said, “He wrote music of superb spiritual elevation, but he also had the courage to express himself in a simple, direct, accessible sound idiom, in which the search for the particular knew how to subordinate itself to the grandeur of the general line. He had the gift of making everything new, while remaining tied to the most authentic classical tradition of our art.” This disc showcases some of Martinu’s most intriguing and appealing music for piano and orchestra.
The Second Piano Concerto (premiered in 1935 and re-orchestrated 1944) comes from the composer’s years in Paris where he synthesized earlier neo-baroque style with his Czech folk roots. It’s melodic invention and pianistic virtuosity has lead to its popularity. The slow movement is pensive, searching and emotionally moving. Swiss pianist Robert Kolinsky mitigates the manic energy of the two outer movements, allowing the lyrical passages to emerge as distinctive interludes. The Frescoes of Piero della Francesca (1955) fuses Mediterranean impressionist color with Czech drama into one of Martinu’s orchestral masterpieces. The fantasy-infused score “expresses the sensation the frescoes awakened in me in the church of Arezzo” in southern France. Ashkenazy’s performance reveals the score’s details – the mystery of the second movement’s depiction of ‘Constantine’s Dream’ is fully explored – but the outer movements lack the drama and passion that’s a part of this great score.
Of his Piano Concerto No. 4 ‘Incantation,’ Martinu complained of the ‘pressure of mechanization and uniformity’ that had pervaded the modern world. He later said that the composition was “an expression of the never-ending search for truth and the meaning of life, as well as a homage to music.” In two movements the composer creates a sound world that is powerful, magical, expressive and meditative. Its timbre and colors are wide ranging. The piano writing is percussive and includes silent chord clusters. It’s the most challenging and imaginative work on this disc. Pianist Robert Kolinsky and conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy reveal the many facets of the intriguing work. The Overture of 1953 is a bright and ebullient celebration of the opening of the Mannes College of Music, written in a concerto-grosso style.
The music on this well-recorded CD is an excellent introduction to this under-appreciated, challenging and eminently listenable composer.
— Robert Moon
