Martinu - Symphony No. 4, Memorial to Lidice & Concertos

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Martinu - Symphony No. 4, Memorial to Lidice & Concertos

John Alley (piano) & Charles Fullbrook (timpani), Nicholas Daniel (oboe), Stephen Reay (bassoon), Andrew Watkinson (violin) & Stephen Orton (cello)

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, City of London Sinfonia, The Endellion String Quartet & City of...

Release Date: 2nd Mar 2009
Catalogue No: 2643502
Label: Warner Classics
Series: Gemini
Length: 2 hours 22 minutes

Martinů: Symphony No. 4, H. 305

Work length34:12

Album only

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Walter Weller
Recorded: 1979-09-28
Recording Venue: 27 & 28 Sep, 1979. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool

I. Poco moderato

Track length7:11

$1.30

$1.70

II. Allegro vivo - Moderato - Allegro vivo

Track length9:23

$1.30

$1.70

III. Largo

Track length10:55

Album only

IV. Poco allegro

Track length6:43

$1.30

$1.70

Martinů: Sinfonietta La Jolla (1950) for piano and chamber orchestra (2009 Digital Remaster)

Work length20:50

$3.90

$5.10

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Walter Weller
Recorded: 1979-09-28
Recording Venue: 27 & 28 Sep, 1979. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool

I. Poco allegro

Track length5:49

$1.30

$1.70

II. Largo - Andante moderato

Track length9:11

$1.30

$1.70

III. Allegro

Track length5:50

$1.30

$1.70

Martinů: Les Fresques de Pietro della Francesca (1955) for large orchestra (1994 - Remaster)

Work length18:18

$3.90

$5.10

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Rafael Kubelik
Recorded: 1958-04-14
Recording Venue: 12-14 April 1958. Kingsway Hall, London

I. Andante poco moderato

Track length7:45

$1.30

$1.70

II. Adagio

Track length5:34

$1.30

$1.70

III. Poco allegro

Track length4:59

$1.30

$1.70

Martinů: Double Concerto for Strings, Piano & Timpani, H. 271

Work length22:04

$3.90

$5.10

John Alley/Charles Fullbrook/Sinfonia of London/Richard Hickox, John Alley (piano), Charles Fullbrook (timpani)
City of London Sinfonia
Richard Hickox
Recorded: 1989-05-12
Recording Venue: 9 & 11-12 May 1989 / No. 1 Studio, Abbey Road, London

I. Poco allegro

Track length6:13

$1.30

$1.70

II. Largo

Track length9:20

$1.30

$1.70

III. Allegro

Track length6:31

$1.30

$1.70

Martinů: Concerto for string quartet & orchestra, H. 207

Work length18:24

$3.90

$5.10

Endellion String Quartet/Sinfonia of London/Richard Hickox
Endellion String Quartet, City of London Sinfonia
Richard Hickox
Recorded: 1989-05-12
Recording Venue: 9 & 11-12 May 1989. No. 1 Studio, Abbey Road, London

I. Allegro vivo

Track length4:32

$1.30

$1.70

II. Adagio

Track length8:56

$1.30

$1.70

III. Tempo moderato

Track length4:56

$1.30

$1.70

Martinů: Sinfonia Concertante

Work length21:02

$3.90

$5.10

Nicholas Daniel/Stephen Reay/Andrew Watkinson/Stephen Orton/Sinfonia of London/Richard Hickox, Stephen Orton (cello), Stephen Reay (bassoon), Nicholas Daniel (oboe), Andrew Watkinson (violin)
City of London Sinfonia
Richard Hickox
Recorded: 1989-05-12
Recording Venue: 9 & 11-12 May 1989. No. 1 Studio, Abbey Road, London

I. Allegro non troppo

Track length8:54

$1.30

$1.70

II. Andante moderato

Track length4:51

$1.30

$1.70

III. Poco allegro

Track length7:17

$1.30

$1.70

Martinů: Mahnmal für Lidice Trauermusik für Orchester (1943)

Work length7:49

$1.30

$1.70

Bamberger Symphoniker
Ingo Metzmacher
Recorded: 1995-05-03
Recording Venue: 3./6./9./10./12.V.1995, Bamberg, Sinfonie an der Regnitz

About
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About

Bohuslav Martinu (1890-1959) was born in the small town of Policka in the Bohemian-Moravian highlands. He was a poor academically but showed great promise as both a musician and as a composer. He soon joined a student quartet and his town’s string orchestra and by 15 he was leader of the town’s String Quartet and he made his debut as a soloist. Public donations allowed him to be sent to Prague in 1906 but, although he revelled in the music, he hated the strict regime and was expelled; further attempts on succeeding years were also failures. During WWI he was made a part time member of the Czech Philharmonic and this experience added significantly to his understanding on how to achieve specific instrumental sonorities. He moved to Paris in 1923 to study with Roussel and it was here he acquired his love of jazz which duly inspired a number of his compositions. The earliest work to appear in this set is the Concerto for string quartet and orchestra in 1931 the same year as he married Charlotte Quennehen, a French girl who had instinctively recognised his exceptional qualities and became his principal means of support. Her protection enabled him to compose freely. On a brief visit to his homeland in 1938 he realised that the threat of Nazi Germany would mean he would never see it again. This sadness purveys the Double Concerto for two string orchestras, piano and timpani. The imminent fall of Paris meant that he had to flee first to Aix-en-Provence and finally in 1941 to America. Emotional turmoil prevented composition and it was a year in Jamaica that restored his will to compose.

He felt homesick, no more so than when the Nazis totally destroyed the village of Lidice with all its inhabitants that inspired him to write the Memorial for Lidice in 1943. Serge Koussevitzky, who did so much for many émigré composers, assisted and much of his subsequent work is indebted to him including his six symphonies (of which No. 4 written in 1945 is included here) and the Sinfonia Concertante for oboe, bassoon, violin, cello soli and orchestra from 1949. La Jolla followed the next year and in 1955 Les Fresques de Piero della Francesca appeared – a symphony in all but name, which is now, rightly regarded as a masterpiece.

Artists

John Alley (piano) & Charles Fullbrook (timpani), Nicholas Daniel (oboe), Stephen Reay (bassoon), Andrew Watkinson (violin) & Stephen Orton (cello)

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, City of London Sinfonia, The Endellion String Quartet & City of London Sinfonia, Bamberger Symphoniker, Walter Weller, Rafael Kubelik, Richard Hickox, Ingo Metzmacher

Martinu - Symphony No. 4, Memorial to Lidice & Concertos

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