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[springrite]

How close are Supraphon to being able to do a Complete Martinu edition?

Martin wrote too much opus I think for this to take place.

[Mirror Image]

I am choosing from what Arkivmusic offers. Curiously,  they have yet to offer the new Gilmagesh recording.

BTW, part III of the Martinu project is being prepared. 

The last composer who I connected with this quickly was Shostakovich.

Well, this is great to hear, Jeffrey. I will be reading your Martinu posts with anticipation. Right now, I'm reading a book titled Martinu's Letters Home and they offer a glimpse into the composer's personality. I've already reached letters dating up to 1934, so I still have many more letters to go (he died in 1959).

[Mirror Image]

Martin wrote too much opus I think for this to take place.

Perhaps, not surprisingly, Supraphon has the largest bite on the Martinu market as they have recorded so many works that have never been recorded elsewhere, but, yes, I do agree. The man composed almost 400 works. To try and assimilate this amount of music just within itself, would be enough to send one's mind into orbit.

[flyingdutchman]

I didn't realize music was some kind of competition. I'm certainly not playing this 'who's greater than...' game with you.

Sorry, but you seemed to make it as a matter of fact, i..e, "after Dvorak and Janacek, Martinu is the best Czech composer."  I just happened to disagree with you.

[The new erato]

Let it go. It's semantics, subjective and not important.

[Madiel]

But it's MI who made a thing of it. And yes, I made a thing of it AFTER that, because it's a recurring pattern of behaviour and it's pretty frustrating to experience or watch.

Telling people OTHER than the person who initiated the drama to stop with the drama is also pretty annoying. Okay?

[/tangent]

[Jo498]

And the claim was wrong anyway.
Smetana is historically far more important, *the* Czech national composer together with or even before Dvorak (because some of his stuff is more explicitly patriotic and not quite as close to the Austro-German mainstream of the mid-late 19th century) and correspondingly recognized and revered in a way Martinu is not, never was and probably never will be. Martinu is a decent, maybe slightly underrated, but overall fairly low-impact composer.

[Florestan]

Martinu is a decent, maybe slightly underrated, but overall fairly low-impact composer.

*munches popcorn*

[ritter]

Martinu is a decent, maybe slightly underrated, but overall fairly low-impact composer.

Where some see a slightly underrated composer, others may see a slightly overrated composer. 

[Mirror Image]

Ignoring all the arguing, I just want to say that I'm proud to see Jeffrey Smith get into Martinu. Just as Rafael (ritter) would love to see him get into Boulez or just like orfeo would love to see him get into Holmboe. Great stuff.

[kishnevi]

Ignoring all the arguing, I just want to say that I'm proud to see Jeffrey Smith get into Martinu. Just as Rafael (ritter) would love to see him get into Boulez or just like orfeo would love to see him get into Holmboe. Great stuff.

Actually I'm already into Boulez and Holmboe.  And I'm finding I like Martinu far more than I like Smetana or Janacek. Dvorak too but the difference is not as great...Just like I like Shostakovich more than any other Russian composer, including all the 19th century greats.

(sticks out tongue like a little kid saying "can't catch me!")

[Mirror Image]

Actually I'm already into Boulez and Holmboe.  And I'm finding I like Martinu far more than I like Smetana or Janacek. Dvorak too but the difference is not as great...Just like I like Shostakovich more than any other Russian composer, including all the 19th century greats.

(sticks out tongue like a little kid saying "can't catch me!")

Great to hear, Jeffrey!

(Runs after the bouncing ball...)

[Karl Henning]

[...] Martinů is a decent, maybe slightly underrated, but overall fairly low-impact composer.

Not as my ears feel the impact.

[Karl Henning]

[...] I'm finding I like Martinů far more than I like Smetana or Janáček.

I do enjoy both Martinů & Janáček markedly more than I do Smetana; but I could not rule between M. & J.

[Pat B]

Ignoring all the arguing, I just want to say that I'm proud to see Jeffrey Smith get into Martinu. Just as Rafael (ritter) would love to see him get into Boulez or just like orfeo would love to see him get into Holmboe. Great stuff.

I started to say, I don't think anybody can argue with this. Then I read Jeffrey's response.

[Mirror Image]

I started to say, I don't think anybody can argue with this. Then I read Jeffrey's response.

[San Antone]

[Mirror Image]

Excellent! One of my favorite cycles of these symphonies along with Rozhdestvensky's.

[Turner]

I do enjoy both Martinů & Janáček markedly more than I do Smetana; but I could not rule between M. & J.

Personally, if taking Ma Vlast as a whole and one work, I'd probably pick about 6 oeuvres by Smetana as really worth hearing, whereas for Martinu it could easily be 15 pieces or more.

And there's a much more contemporary atmosphere to Martinu, though admittedly he is known among fewer people than Smetana, of course. He has had some success in France and the US also, possibly there's a revival now, but Smetana and Janacek were more important as a pioneer and inspirational figure for later composers. It's quite amazing how Martinu can sound like Janacek at times.

(For Smetana, the works would be Ma Vlast, The Bartered Bride, the two string quartets, the piano trio, Macbeth and the Witches).

[marvinbrown]

   I have not bought much in a while but when I saw this I just had to have it! I am very excited! I can not believe that this is out on Bluray  :

  The Bluray of this 1993 production was released in 2013, I know this is going to sound and look amazing!

  [asin]B00D3O24UO[/asin]

  I wasn't even aware this was out on Bluray until I saw an advertisement at the end of a youtube video showcasing scenes from the production.  Yes Rene Kollo has aged from the Barenboim production at Bayreuth which I have and love, save for the ending. Nevertheless he still delivers!  But here the main attraction is Gweneth Jones, in superb form..............and an ending in line with Wagner's specific instructions.  marvinbrown is one happy Wagnerian!

  marvin