Bohuslav Martinů - Špalíček (František Jílek)

Information

Composer: Bohuslav Martinů

• Spalícek, ballet, H. 214
• The Spectre's Bride, ballad based on Karel Jaromír Erben's poem, H. 214
• The Romance of the Dandelions, cantata, H. 364
• The Primrose, five duets on texts of Moravia folk songs, H. 348

Anna Kratochvílová, soprano

Miroslav Kopp, tenor

Richard Novák, bass

Kantiléna Children's Chorus / Jan Sedláček

Kühn Female Chorus / Pavel Kühn

Brno Philharmonic Orchestra

František Jílek, conductor

Jiřina Marková, soprano

Miroslav Kopp, tenor

Pavel Horáček, bass

Kühn Mixed Chorus / Pavel Kühn

Prague Symphony Orchestra

Jiří Bělohlávek, conductor

Milada Čejková, soprano

Kühn Mixed Chorus

Pavel Kühn, conductor

Petr Messiereur, violin

Stanislav Bogunia, piano

Kühn Female Chorus

Pavel Kühn, conductor

Compilation: 2007

Label: Supraphon

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Review

This is a recoupling made even more desirable than on its original issue by the inclusion of The Specter’s Bride, Martinu’s retelling of the same story set by Dvorák about a young girl who runs away with her dead lover’s ghost, only to be rescued at the last minute from the cemetery by the arrival of dawn. It’s a wonderful piece, as fine in its own way as Dvorák’s setting, and, at half an hour, much shorter. Including it in this two-disc set makes a perfect program organized around settings of Czech folk poetry, the Dandelion Romance and The Primrose being two much shorter but very charming further examples.

The main attraction, however, is Špalícek, a ballet with songs in which each of the three acts incorporates the telling of a fairy tale, enhanced by plenty of additional dancing and commentary framing the main stories. The music is invariably appealing and rhythmically vivacious, Martinu in his most bubbly folk/neo-classical mode–and if you enjoy the suite (recorded by Mackerras on Conifer) then you will surely find the complete work equally enchanting.

All of the performances here are excellent in every respect. None of the soloists, save bass Richard Novák, are at all well known, but it doesn’t matter a bit, while the conductors are veterans who can be counted on to deliver consistently idiomatic and persuasive results. Given the wide variety of forces–from full orchestra with chorus and soloists in The Specter’s Bride and Špalícek to solo violin, piano, and a small group of sopranos and altos in The Primrose–the engineering is quite good. A major Martinu release, for sure. [4/11/2008]

— David Hurwitz

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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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František Jílek (22 May 1913 – 16 September 1993) was a prominent Czech conductor. He studied at both the Brno and Prague Conservatories, graduated in 1937. From 1938 to 1949, he led the opera in Ostrava, and in 1952 became principal conductor of the Janáček Opera in Brno, a role he held for 25 years. He also conducted the National Theatre in Prague, the Czech Philharmonic, and orchestras abroad. In 1978, he became conductor of the Brno Philharmonic. Jílek was especially noted for his interpretations of Smetana, Janáček, Russian and Italian operas, many of which are recorded on the Supraphon label.

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