Bohuslav Martinu

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timjthomas

Bohuslav Martinu
« on: 28 Dec 2011, 09:26 am »
Anyone familiar with Bohuslav Martinu?  I picked up the complete symphonies conducted by Neemi Jarvi and very much like what I am hearing.




How are the other works by Martinu (e.g., piano quintets, string quartets, concertos, etc.)?

Thanks,

Tim

Todd_A

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Re: Bohuslav Martinu
« Reply #1 on: 28 Dec 2011, 03:50 pm »
Martinu is superb, one of the underappreciated composers of the last century.  I've heard a fair chunk of his works, and his symphonies and string quartets are outstanding.  For the string quartets, the Panocha is the finest of the sets I've heard, though the Martinu Quartet is also excellent.  (Even the Stamitz, my least preferred here, are really good.)  The piano concertos are generally quite good.   There's a complete cycle on Supraphon (naturally) with Emil Leichner, and the great Rudolf Firkusny recorded some as well.  Firkusny is better here.  The Cello Concertos are almost as good.  The piano quintet on a Naxos release is outstanding, and the violin and piano works, particularly the later, non-study works offer some rewarding listens.  For opera, I've only tried Julietta, and while not up to the standards of, say, Janacek, it is quite good.  I cannot think of a bad Martinu piece.

On the symphony side, though you just got the Jarvi set (which I have not heard), the new Belohlávek set is absolutely top flight, besting even the Neumann set.  There are ample options with this composer.

timjthomas

Re: Bohuslav Martinu
« Reply #2 on: 28 Dec 2011, 05:53 pm »
Thanks Todd!!!

I got a couple of Amazon gift cards for Christmas and just placed an order for several Martinu works.  Hopefully I picked some good ones (although with classical it's really hard to find a truly bad recording).  Here's what I have on order:














geezer

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Re: Bohuslav Martinu
« Reply #3 on: 28 Dec 2011, 06:29 pm »
Aside --  a little trivia: My Russian is very, very rusty by now, but I think "Bohuslav" and "Belohlavek" mean "Glory of God", and "Whitehead", respectively.

Back to business: Is the opera, Julietta available on DVD?

timjthomas

Re: Bohuslav Martinu
« Reply #4 on: 28 Dec 2011, 06:49 pm »
Aside --  a little trivia: My Russian is very, very rusty by now, but I think "Bohuslav" and "Belohlavek" mean "Glory of God", and "Whitehead", respectively.

Back to business: Is the opera, Julietta available on DVD?

Interesting.  The opera does not appear to be available on DVD -- at least not on amazon.

Todd_A

  • Jr. Member
  • Posts: 90
Re: Bohuslav Martinu
« Reply #5 on: 28 Dec 2011, 06:53 pm »
Hopefully I picked some good ones



I know for sure some are.  Can't believe I forgot about the Suk/Neumann VCs.  Hard to imagine it being bettered.

I also agree that it is hard to find a truly bad recording, but it happens on occasion.  I'm thinking the Schoenberg Quartet's recording of Schulhoff's string quartets, Hermann Scherchen's Eroica, and Glenn Gould's Mozart.  All are debatable, of course, but I find these insufferable.

Dave G

Re: Bohuslav Martinu
« Reply #6 on: 29 Dec 2011, 01:45 am »
I like these two, especially the cello sonatas:







Photon46

Re: Bohuslav Martinu
« Reply #7 on: 29 Dec 2011, 11:58 am »
I've been a fan of his symphonies for years but haven't explored beyond those. I picked up this complete set by Thomson and the Royal Scottish Orchestra on Chandos a couple of years ago, a real bargain. It's rated a 10/10 by David Hurwitz @ ClassicsToday.com http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=101487 or

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=martinu+symphonies+chandos&x=14&y=13

bakufu

Re: Bohuslav Martinu
« Reply #8 on: 12 May 2012, 09:46 pm »
my two favorite martinu works, and my favorite recording thereof:



did someone actually say they find scherchen's eroica "insufferable"?