Bohuslav Martinů (1890-1959)

[Mirror Image]

Wow that's a lot of good stuff  But I don't see the Nonet, or any of the string quartets, or the late "folk" cantatas,...so back to Amazon with you! 

Since I'm an orchestral fan, I have tried to keep my purchases to this genre, but I plan on getting more chamber works. I will probably buy his string quartets when they become available in a box set from Naxos. The same goes for the piano music. I view these kinds of works as only for Martinu completist, but like I said maybe someday. If I do listen to chamber music, I try and go for the piano quintets or quartets from a composer or the larger chamber ensembles. I'll have to check out the Nonet you mentioned.

Thanks for your input and suggestions.

[DavidRoss]

I see that there's an unusual amount of proselytizing for Martinů here of late.  I've found his music pleasant, but not particularly moving, inspiring, or memorable.  Perhaps I haven't heard enough, yet.

Given that I'm especially inclined to like orchestral music, I wonder which of his symphonies the Martinů fans would most recommend as a gateway to greater appreciation?

[Mirror Image]

I see that there's an unusual amount of proselytizing for Martinů here of late.  I've found his music pleasant, but not particularly moving, inspiring, or memorable.  Perhaps I haven't heard enough, yet.

Given that I'm especially inclined to like orchestral music, I wonder which of his symphonies the Martinů fans would most recommend as a gateway to greater appreciation?

Try Symphonies Nos. 5 & 6 first. Give Martinu some time to sink in. It took me a year to fully appreciate him. His idiom is very unique in that it synthesizes very disparate musical forms and blends them seamlessly together.

P.S. I don't think anyone on in this thread is trying to convert anyone else into liking Martinu's music. There are many people who just dislike his music, which is fine. This thread is simply for people of all opinions. There are still plenty of people here who are "on the fence" so to speak about whether they like him or not, but as I said, for many he's a composer that has to be given a chance to be absorbed.

[karlhenning]

I see that there's an unusual amount of proselytizing for Martinů here of late.  I've found his music pleasant, but not particularly moving, inspiring, or memorable.  Perhaps I haven't heard enough, yet.

I might have said much the same of the Janáček operas the first few times I assayed them, Dave.  I needed a subtle attunement to the idiom.

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Given that I'm especially inclined to like orchestral music, I wonder which of his symphonies the Martinů fans would most recommend as a gateway to greater appreciation?

The 1st Symphony (Belohlavek recording) made me a convert right away. However, nos. 4 and 6 seem to be the critical favorites. I love 'em all, but it strikes me that 3, 4 and 6 have slightly greater musical substance than the other ones.

To describe each symphony in a few words:

1: expansive, bright, good-natured

2: idyllic, pastoral, tuneful

3: intense, dramatic, moody

4: complex, outgoing, triumphant

5: energetic, rigorous, extroverted

6: surrealistic, dreamlike, kaleidoscopic

[Todd]

Problem is, there really isn't yet a consensus as to what pieces constitute the best Martinu, although one seems to be developing around the symphonies and a few of the other orchestral works

I wonder if the emerging consesus merely reflects the preference of many for orchestral music over smaller forms.  In the case of Martinu, I would say that has to be the case since some of his best work is to be found among his string quartets.  There are at least three complete cycles on disc, and of those three the Panocha are the best, though the Martinu Quartet is also quite fine.

Sticking with orchestral works, though I'm sure it has been mentioned before, the Memorial to Lidice is a fine work.  Ancerl and Eschenbach both recorded quite different takes on the work.

A twofer that includes some solo piano works and three of the concertos that may be of some interest is the below with Rudolf Firkusny at the keyboard.  Firkusny was the dedicatee of several of Martinu's works, and worked with the composer.  I rather enjoy this set, though I wish I could find some older recordings with a younger Firkusny playing the works.  (His earlier playing was, in at least some cases, better than his later playing.)

[Todd]

Forgot about this set, which is half Janacek, half Martinu.  The Martinu includes the Cello Sonatas played by Firkusny and Janos Starker, and it's superb.  The Janacek disc includes Firkusny's last studio recordings of Janacek, plus the Violin Sonata played by Laurent Korcia and Georges Pludermacher (I confess that I find Pludermacher's playing more intriguing here).

[Mirror Image]

I wonder if the emerging consesus merely reflects the preference of many for orchestral music over smaller forms.  In the case of Martinu, I would say that has to be the case since some of his best work is to be found among his string quartets.  There are at least three complete cycles on disc, and of those three the Panocha are the best, though the Martinu Quartet is also quite fine.

Sticking with orchestral works, though I'm sure it has been mentioned before, the Memorial to Lidice is a fine work.  Ancerl and Eschenbach both recorded quite different takes on the work.

A twofer that includes some solo piano works and three of the concertos that may be of some interest is the below with Rudolf Firkusny at the keyboard.  Firkusny was the dedicatee of several of Martinu's works, and worked with the composer.  I rather enjoy this set, though I wish I could find some older recordings with a younger Firkusny playing the works.  (His earlier playing was, in at least some cases, better than his later playing.)

I've seen this 2-CD set, but haven't heard much about it. I wonder how it compares the amazing Leichner/Belohlavek set on Supraphon? Any thoughts?

[Todd]

I've seen this 2-CD set, but haven't heard much about it. I wonder how it compares the amazing Leichner/Belohlavek set on Supraphon?

I prefer it to the Leichner, though I don't find the Leichner set amazing.  YMMV.

[Mirror Image]

I prefer it to the Leichner, though I don't find the Leichner set amazing.  YMMV.

I do. I think it's fantastic and impeccably played. Definitely a set I've come to enjoy.

By the way, saying you prefer it to another set, doesn't really tell me much. Why do you prefer to the Leichner? That's what I wanted to know.

[Todd]

Why do you prefer to the Leichner?

Firkusny's playing.

[Luke]

I am, of course, talking about the version written for voice, chorus, and orchestra.

Yes, so was I

[Mirror Image]

Yes, so was I

Ah...oh well sorry you don't like it. The Belohlavek version I have is so intense!

[Luke]

Yes, so was I

Not that I don't like it, I just don't feel it is fully-formed Martinu.

[Luke]

Since I'm an orchestral fan, I have tried to keep my purchases to this genre, but I plan on getting more chamber works. I will probably buy his string quartets when they become available in a box set from Naxos. The same goes for the piano music. I view these kinds of works as only for Martinu completist, but like I said maybe someday.

That strikes me as a really odd view, especially for someone so keen on Martinu - I'd have thought you'd be mad keen to snap up every note he wrote! Placing a division between works for larger forces and the rest seems a bit arbitrary. I'm sure Martinu wouldn't have seen it that way; as with all composers he placed as much stock by the major works of his chamber output as those of his orchestral.

I'll tell you some orchestral Martinu which never gets mentioned, but which Safranek, in his biography of the composer, places great importance on - some of the music on this weird and sometimes wonderful disc:



La Bagarre, Half-Time, Thunderbolt P-47 - this is Martinu really finding his individual voice as an orchestral composer, and they are powerful pieces, to say the least. Le Jazz, with choral vocalising, is just....odd. But great fun! The disc also includes Who is the Most Powerful in the World and the Sextet for piano and winds.....I think I will give it a spin tonight!
 

[Mirror Image]

Not that I don't like it, I just don't feel it is fully-formed Martinu.

Yeah, I can see your point, but, for me, there's something to admire about all of his phases of development. I mean let's take Roussel for example. I loved his Symphony No. 1 but it's hardly ever discussed. This is hardly fully formed Roussel, but that still doesn't make the music any less enjoyale or even inspired.

[Luke]

Oh absolutely, and I'd be the first to agree that a composer's early and stylistically unformed works can be extremely rewarding. My main beef with this piece is less that it doens't sound like later Martinu than that it is episodic in a way that the older composer would probably have been able to avoid. But I should give it another spin...

[Mirror Image]

That strikes me as a really odd view, especially for someone so keen on Martinu - I'd have thought you'd be mad keen to snap up every note he wrote! Placing a division between works for larger forces and the rest seems a bit arbitrary. I'm sure Martinu wouldn't have seen it that way; as with all composers he placed as much stock by the major works of his chamber output as those of his orchestral.

Well I'm an odd person.

But seriously, I'm going to explore more of Martinu's chamber works. I just bought a recording of his Piano Quintets Nos. 1 & 2, so I'm anxious to get this one. It's just that right now, I'm enjoying his orchestral music also some of his choral music as well. I'm trying to submerge myself with what I already own.

Anyway, that looks like an interesting disc of Martinu. I might have to pick that one up at some point.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

I see that there's an unusual amount of proselytizing for Martinů here of late.  I've found his music pleasant, but not particularly moving, inspiring, or memorable.  Perhaps I haven't heard enough, yet.

Given that I'm especially inclined to like orchestral music, I wonder which of his symphonies the Martinů fans would most recommend as a gateway to greater appreciation?

I would say that even though orchestral music is more your thing, David, Martinu's string quartets are every bit as representative of his skills/talent as his symphonies and therefore (humbly) deserve consideration if you're interested in exploring more Martinu.

I really enjoy the intimacy of the quartets, as if I were permitted access to a sort of secretive, select world inhabited by four close friends sharing juicy stories with one another yet, ultimately, not afraid to splash everything in the tabloids for the entire world to see.

They're daring works, full of invention and subtlety, with loads of spark and spunk. Anyway, I get a kick out of them. (The Panocha's my favorite):

[Mirror Image]

I wonder how this set compares to the Naxos recordings. Have you heard the Naxos ones too? Thanks.