Martinu Archive

MARTINU: Complete Music for Violin and Orchestra – Matousek (vln) / Czech Philharmonic Orchestra/ Hogwood – Hyperion
Outstanding performances by violinist Bohuslav Matousek of the brilliant orchestra music of Martinu.

CLERAMBAULT & MARCHAND – Mahugo, harpsichord – Brilliant; “20th-Century Harpsichord Music” – C.D. Lewis – Naxos
Two fascinating solo harpsichord CDs for your collection. LOUIS-NICHOLAS CLERAMBAULT & LOUIS MARCHAND: Complete Harpsichord Music – Yago Mahugo, harpsichord – Brilliant Classics 94790, 77:20 (Distr. by Naxos) ****: “20th Century Harpsichord Music” Wrks of POULENC, FRANCAIX, MARTINU & DUREY – Christopher D. Lewis, harpsichord – Naxos 8.573364, 60:05 (10/9/15) ****: Clerambault and Marchan are […]

Janos Starker: In Memoriam = Cello Concertos of MARTINU, PROKOFIEV & DOHNANYI – Praga Digitals
Cello master Janos Starker provides illuminated firepower in three epic works from XXth Century repertory.

“Dumka” = Piano pieces by DVORAK, SUK, LISZT, BALAKIREV, TCHAIKOVSKY, LYSENKO & MARTINU – Avie
Pianist Lada Valesova finds a musical thread in the form of the dumka that connects the souls of Slavic composers.

MARTINU: Cinq Pieces Breves (Piano Trio No. 1); Piano Trio No. 2 in D Minor; Bergerettes; Piano Trio No. 3 in C Major “The Great” – Arbor Piano Trio – Naxos
Ever the experimental delver into sound clusters and emotional byways, Martinu provides a fascinating journey through his piano trios, vividly realized by the Arbor Piano Trio.

BRAHMS: Symphony No. 1 in C Minor; MARTINU: Symphony No. 4 – Radio-Symphonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR/ Klaus Tennstedt – ICA Classics
The Klaus Tennstedt recorded legacy enjoys a significant boost in these two often incandescent readings of scores by Brahms and Martinu, the latter a new addition to Tennstedt’s discography.

MARTINŮ: Concerto for Harpsichord and Small Orch.; Chamber Music No. 1 (“Les fêtes nocturnes”); Les rondes; La revue de cuisine: Ballet du Jazz – Robert Hill, harpsichord/ Holst-Sinfonietta/ Klaus Simon, cond. & piano – Naxos KNUDÅGE RIISAGER: The Symphonic Edition, Vol. 1 = Ov. for Erasmus Montanus, Op. 1; Klods Hans (Jack the Dullard); Symphony No. 1, Op. 8; Comoedie; Fastelavn (Carnival) – Aarhus Sym. Orch./ Bo Holton – Dacapo
A beguiling pair of releases: two composers who learned their craft in 1920s Paris, and two very different approaches to neo-Classical style.

Great Czech Conductors: Martin Turnovsky = MARTINU, IBERT, BIZET, HINDEMITH, ST.-SAENS, PROKOFIEV – Prague Sym. soloists/ Prague Sym. – Supraphon (2-CDs)
This set from Supraphon may refresh our awareness of Turnovsky’s numerous contributions to his musical craft.

“Rococo Variations for Cello and Piano” – 6 works by BEETHOVEN, MARTINU & GEBROT – Jeremy Findlay, c./ Per Rundberg, p. – Praga Digitals
A most enjoyable collection of variations for cello and piano.

Great Czech Conductors: Rafael Kubelik = Works of DVORAK, SHOSTAKOVICH, MARTINU & DOBIAS – var. perf. – Supraphone (2 CDs)
A fine 2-CD set immortalizes the Rafael Kubelik of the WWII years and their immediate aftermath, in vital readings of important Czech works.

Josef Suk, violin – The Early Recordings = Music of DVORAK, SMETANA, MARTINU, JANACEK, GRIEG, RESPIGHI, DEBUSSY, POULENC, FRANCK, CHUBERT, MOZART, HONEGGER, KODALY & Others – Supraphon (6 CDs)
We witness the beginnings of a legendary career here from violin virtuoso Josef Suk, one of the greats in Czech music-making.

MARTINŮ: The Six Symphonies – Jiří Bělohlávek/ BBC Symphony Orchestra – Onyx
These mid-twentieth century masterworks deserve to be heard more.