Bohuslav Martinů - Music for Violin and Orchestra Vol. 2 (Matoušek; Hogwood)

Information

Composer: Bohuslav Martinů

• Concerto da camera, H 285
• Concerto for violin, piano and orchestra, H 342
• Czech Rhapsody, H 307a (arr. Jiří Teml)

Bohuslav Matoušek, violin

Karel Košárek, piano

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

Christopher Hogwood, conductor

Date: 2008

Label: Hyperion

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Review

After the previous issue of Martin?’s double concertos (11/07), Matou?ek, Hogwood and Hyperion here focus on those for violin with piano. In the Concerto da camera (1941), the keyboard is part – albeit a prominent one – of the strings-and-percussion accompaniment. Commissioned by Paul Sacher for the leader of his Basle Chamber Orchestra, it was premiered to great success in Switzerland (Martin? having just started his American exile at the time). With its fresh invention and lively demeanour, this remains one of his more popular concertos although it has never received its due on disc. This newcomer sets that omission straight, however, crisply performed and immaculately recorded.

The same applies to its companion pieces. H342 (1952?53) is a true duo concerto, outwardly conventional in format but expressively complex, as Ales Brezina notes in the booklet: “Enigmatic and highly personal…structurally driven by its emotional nature, [and] probably echoes the crisis in the composer’s personal life.” This was instigated by the end of an affair (ignored by Milo? afránek, along with the concerto, in his biography of the composer). Musically, the work feels like an accompanied sonata for piano and violin with each soloist supporting and occupying the forefront by turns and the orchestra – which enjoys its own “solo” passages – providing an additional dimension to the discourse.

The disc concludes with Jirí Teml’s idiomatic orchestration of the Czech Rhapsody (1945, not to be confused with the 1918 cantata of the same title), written for Kreisler and intended to be accompanied orchestrally; for various reasons the final version was never completed. Premiered by Régis Pasquier (who appeared on Vol 1) in 2001, it is a splendid piece, warm and lyrical and beautifully played. Strongly recommended.

— Guy Rickards

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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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Bohuslav Matoušek (born 26 September 1949) is a Czech violinist and violist. He studied at Prague's Academy of Music and with Arthur Grumiaux, Nathan Milstein and Wolfgang Schneiderhan. After winning first prize at the 1972 Prague Spring Competition, he became leader of Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo. From 1980 to 1995, he led and recorded extensively with the Stamic Quartet. Since 1995, he has focused more on solo and chamber music, notably collaborating with pianist Petr Adamec. Their recordings of Martinu’s works earned critical acclaim and a Cannes Classical Award in 2001.

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Christopher Hogwood (10 September 1941 – 24 September 2014) was an English conductor, harpsichordist, and musicologist known for his work in historically informed performance. He was educated at Pembroke College, Cambridge and trained by noted musicians such as Raymond Leppard, Gustav Leonhardt and Zuzana Růžičková. In 1973 he founded the Academy of Ancient Music which became renowned for performing Baroque and Classical music on period instruments. Hogwood also explored Romantic and modern repertoire, especially neobaroque and neoclassical works by Stravinsky, Martinů, and Hindemith.

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