Josef Špaček, Miroslav Sekera, Petr Popelka, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra - Martinů: Concerto for Violin, Piano and Orchestra, Violin Sonata No. 3, Five Short Pieces (2023) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist

01. Concerto for Violin, Piano and Orchestra, H. 342: I. Poco allegro
02. Concerto for Violin, Piano and Orchestra, H. 342: II. Adagio
03. Concerto for Violin, Piano and Orchestra, H. 342: III. Allegro
04. Sonata No. 3 for Violin and Piano, H. 303: I. Poco allegro
05. Sonata No. 3 for Violin and Piano, H. 303: II. Adagio
06. Sonata No. 3 for Violin and Piano, H. 303: III. Scherzo
07. Sonata No. 3 for Violin and Piano, H. 303: IV. Lento - Moderato - Allegro
08. Five Short Pieces for Violin and Piano, H. 184: I. Allegro moderato
09. Five Short Pieces for Violin and Piano, H. 184: II. Andante
10. Five Short Pieces for Violin and Piano, H. 184: III. Allegretto moderato
11. Five Short Pieces for Violin and Piano, H. 184: IV. Allegro vivo - Presto
12. Five Short Pieces for Violin and Piano, H. 184: V. Allegro - Poco moderato

Bohuslav Martinu was a violinist himself, yet the piano colour in many of his symphonic scores is his actual signature. The two instruments are assigned solo roles in the Concerto for Violin, Piano and Orchestra (1953), commissioned by Benno and Sylvia Rabinof, who duly premiered it in May 1954. Written concurrently with Symphony No. 6 (Fantaisies symphoniques), the remarkable work is hardly ever performed nowadays. Different is the case of Violin Sonata No. 3 (1944), created in the USA too, which has long been a staple of violinists' repertoires worldwide. Amid the atmosphere of the imminent end of WWII and feeling homesick, Martinu conceived a monument whose duration is that of a symphony, a work teeming with contrastive drama and lyricism, and featuring a Dvorak-like nostalgia, evoking his Czech roots. In comparison with the two "American" works, the Cinq pieces breves (1930), dating from Martinu's Paris period, contain far rougher harmonies and piquancy, attesting to a penchant for the Charleston, as well as a propensity to the contrapuntal style. On their album, the globally renowned artists Josef Spacek and Miroslav Sekera present Martinu as an astute creator of chamber music and concertos, a composer both international and Czech, widely known and still being discovered alike.

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