Martinu - The complete music for violin and orchestra Volume 2 - Hyperion: CDA67672 - CD or download

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Christopher Hogwood and Katel Matoušek are entirely at home with this repertoire. There is a huge amount to enjoy. — BBC Music Magazine, May 2008, 4 out of 5 stars More…

Release Date: 28th Jan 2008
Catalogue No: CDA67672
Label: Hyperion
Series: Martinu Violin and Orchestra Series
Length: 64 minutes

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Martinů: Concerto da Camera for solo violin, piano, timpani, percussion & string orchestra, H. 285

Work length26:13

$3.30

$4.50

Bohuslav Matoušek (violin), Karel Košárek (piano)
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
Christopher Hogwood

I. Moderato, poco allegro

Track length7:27

$1.10

$1.50

II. Adagio

Track length9:01

$1.10

$1.50

III. Poco allegro

Track length9:45

$1.10

$1.50

Martinů: Concerto for violin, piano and orchestra H342

Work length27:42

$3.30

$4.50

Bohuslav Matoušek (violin), Karel Košárek (piano)
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
Christopher Hogwood

I. Poco allegro

Track length9:03

$1.10

$1.50

II. Adagio

Track length8:44

$1.10

$1.50

III. Allegro

Track length9:55

$1.10

$1.50

Martinů: Czech Rhapsody for violin and piano

Work length10:35

$1.10

$1.50

Bohuslav Matoušek (violin)
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
Christopher Hogwood

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About

This is the second volume in Hyperion’s set of the complete works for violin and orchestra by Martinuo, featuring the wonderful Bohuslav Matoušek with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra under Christopher Hogwood. Many first recordings are included in the series, as well as works totally unperformed outside the Czech Republic.

Included here is the Concerto da camera, a favourite among Martinuo’s instrumental concertos because of the freshness of its musical invention, the sensual sound of the orchestral part and the virtuosity of the solo parts.

The joyful Czech Rhapsody is a thrilling virtuoso work, dedicated to Kreisler.

The Concerto for violin, piano and orchestra is an enigmatic and highly personal work, structurally driven by its emotional nature and perhaps echoing the crisis in the composer’s personal life, caused by the sudden breakdown in the summer of 1952 of his long-term relationship with Rosalyn Barstow.

Reviews

May 2008

Christopher Hogwood and Katel Matoušek are entirely at home with this repertoire. There is a huge amount to enjoy.

2010

Hogwood and Hyperion here focus on the concertos for violin with piano. In the Concerto dacamera (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 (Martinu 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 Aleš BSezina 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.' 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), written for Kreisler and intended to be accompanied orchestrally; for various reasons the final version was never completed. Premiered by Régis Pasquier in 2001, it is a splendid piece, warm and lyrical and beautifully played.
Strongly recommended.

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…strongly recommended

March 2008

A delightful second programme of Martinu violin concertos from Prague. Concerto da camera (1941)… 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 disc concludes with Jirí Teml's idiomatic orchestration of the Czech Rhapsody... it is a splendid piece, warm and lyrical and beautifully played. Strongly recommended.

10th May 2008

Matousek's strutting sense of rhythm, innate feel for the angular melodic line, comic touch and tender, almost homesick lyricism in the adagios make these compelling performances. He is more reflective in the Rhapsody Concerto, where even the virtuosic passages have a contemplative character. Christopher Hogwood conducts the Czech Philharmonic with bohemian zip and panache.

Martinu - The complete music for violin and orchestra Volume 2

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