Bohuslav Martinů - Sonatas, Promenades & Madrigal Stanzas (Marion; Dubeau; Hamelin)

Information

Composer: Bohuslav Martinů

• Sonata for flute, violin and piano, H 245
• Promenades for flute, violin and harpsichord, H 274
• Sonata for flute and piano, H 306
• Five Madrigal Stanzas for violin and piano, H 297
• Scherzo for flute and piano, H 174A
• Madrigal-sonata for flute, violin and piano, H 291

Alain Marion, flute

Angèle Dubeau, violin

Marc-André Hamelin, piano

Date: 1993

Label: Analekta

-----------------------------------------------------------

Review

The chamber music of Bohuslav Martinu makes up a significant portion of his output. Unlike some composers, he often preferred composing for non-traditional ensembles. Instead of the typical piano trio combination of violin-cello-piano, this album primarily features works for violin, flute, and piano or harpsichord. This combination of instruments gives the composer unique sound possibilities, melodic groupings, and accompanimental figurations. The inclusion of the flute and Martinu's treatment of it makes it hard not to draw a comparison to composer Olivier Messiaen, who cataloged and imitated bird songs frequently in his music. In fact, the Flute Sonata, H. 308, was inspired by many natural sounds Martinu heard while in Cape Cod. Other works on the program include the neo-Baroque Promenades for flute, violin, and harpsichord, and the Five Madrigal Stanzas for violin and piano. All of the works on the album speak to Martinu's immense versatility for composing in a variety of different styles and his unique treatment of rhythm. The performances of all three musicians are simply first-rate. Pulling off the rhythmic intricacies of Martinu can be extremely different, as can managing the difference in timbre between these three instruments, but DuBeau, Hamelin, and Marion make it seem like child's play. Intonation is magnificently solid, balance could not be improved, and the sound quality of the recording makes listeners feel like they're on-stage. Martinu fans will definitely want this CD, but it would also make a wonderful introduction to the composer's chamber music.

— Mike D. Brownell

-----------------------------------------------------------

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.

***

Alain Marion (25 December 1938 – 16 August 1998) was a French flutist born in Marseille. He studied under Joseph and Jean-Pierre Rampal, and gained fame after winning a prize at the Geneva International Music Competition. Marion held principal flutist roles with France's top orchestras, including Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre National de France and Ensemble InterContemporain. He was also a dedicated educator, teaching at the Académie internationale d'été de Nice, which he later directed. Known for his versatility and special admiration for baroque and Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů, Marion played a gold Sankyo flute.

***

Angèle Dubeau (born 24 March 1962) is a Canadian violinist. She earned top honors at the Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal by age 16, then studied at Juilliard with Dorothy DeLay and in Romania with Stefan Gheorghiu. In 1997, she founded La Pietà, an acclaimed all-woman string ensemble. With a career spanning over 45 years, Dubeau has received numerous awards, achieved gold record status—rare in classical music—and sold over 600,000 albums. Her recordings have been streamed more than 175 million times across 100 countries. She performs on the 1733 “Des Rosiers” Stradivarius violin.

***

Marc-André Hamelin (born 5 September 1961 in Montreal) is a distinguished Canadian pianist and composer renowned for his exceptional technique and distinctive interpretations of the classical repertoire. Internationally acclaimed, he has earned 11 Grammy Award nominations and has recorded extensively with the Hyperion label. Hamelin is particularly noted for his commitment to exploring and performing works by lesser-known composers, especially from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as pieces by pianist-composers. He has composed several works himself, including a set of piano études in all the minor keys.

-----------------------------------------------------------