Antonín Dvořák; Bohuslav Martinů - Piano Concertos (Ivo Kahánek)

Information

Composer: Antonín Dvořák; Bohuslav Martinů

• Dvořák - Piano Concerto in G minor, Op. 33 B. 63
• Martinů - Piano Concerto No. 4, H. 358 'Incantation'

Ivo Kahánek, piano

Bamberg Symphony Orchestra

Jakub Hrůša, conductor

Date: 2019

Label: Supraphon

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Review

However unlikely it may seem, these two very different piano concertos make logical disc mates. Both take advantage of an unusually close relationship between piano and orchestra, producing a wholly original and effective expressive synthesis, and both are superbly performed here by pianist Ivo Kahánek. Of the two, the Dvořák has long been the most misunderstood, owing to its superficial resemblance to the traditional, romantic virtuoso concerto and the fact that it used to be presented, if at all, with a bowdlerized version of the solo part. Happily, the original is now the standard text, even if most pianists reserve the right to tinker in spots (nothing new there).

Certainly, you’d never guess that there’s anything awkward or unsatisfying about the solo writing as performed here. Kaháhek produces the necessary gushing fountains of notes at the big moments, but contrives (with the aid of conductor Jakub Hruša) the most engaging, chamber-like exchanges with the orchestra in the exquisite Andante sostenuto second movement. The performance benefits particularly from perfectly judged tempos: it just flows along with complete naturalness, especially in the finale. It dances with just the right lightness of touch and joyful abandon. Marvelous!

Martinu’s evocative Fourth Piano Concerto, subtitled “Incantantions,” is as extraordinary a work in its medium as anyone ever wrote. It’s structure is wholly unique. Although the work’s two movements contain recapitulatory elements, it comes across as a sort of colorful, luscious, exotic improvisation–a hallucinatory fantasy held together only by the composer’s wholly unique syntax and impeccable sense of musical timing. I love it, and this performance is certainly as compelling as that by the work’s dedicatee, Rudolf Firkušny. Toss in first class engineering, and the result is an exceptional release by any measure.

— David Hurwitz

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Antonín Dvořák (September 8, 1841 – May 1, 1904) was a Czech composer. He was the second Czech composer to achieve worldwide recognition, after Bedřich Smetana. Following Smetana's nationalist example, many of Dvořák's works show the influence of Czech folk music, such as his  two sets of Slavonic Dances, the Symphonic Variations, and the overwhelming majority of his songs. Dvořák wrote in a variety of forms: nine symphonies, ten operas, three concertos, several symphonic poems, serenades for string orchestra and wind ensemble, more than 40 works of chamber music, and piano music.

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Bohuslav Martinů (December 8, 1890 – August 28, 1959) was a Czech composer of modern classical music. He was a violinist in the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, and briefly studied under Czech composer and violinist Josef Suk. Martinů was a prolific composer who wrote almost 400 pieces. Many of his works are regularly performed or recorded, among them his oratorio The Epic of Gilgamesh, his six symphonies, concertos, chamber music, a flute sonata, a clarinet sonatina and many others. Martinů's notable students include Alan Hovhaness, Vítězslava Kaprálová, Jan Novák and many others.

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Ivo Kahánek (born 1979) is a Czech pianist who graduated from the Janáček Conservatoire, Prague's Academy of Performing Arts, and London's Guildhall School. Coming to public attention after winning the Concertino Praga and the Prague Spring Competition in 2004, he has since performed with leading orchestras, such as the Berlin Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestra, and collaborating with top conductors and chamber musicians. Kahánek has released thirteen CDs on the Supraphon Music label. His recordings have earned prestigious awards such as the Diapason d'Or and Choix de Classique HD.

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