Martinu: Piano Concertos Vol. 1 Vol. 1 - Nos. 3, 5, Concertino

Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic Orchestra;
Koukl, Giorgio;
Fagen, Arthur

8.572206

…The 5th Concerto was composed for the Swiss pianist Margrit Weber (Stravinsky wrote his Movements for piano and orchestra for her) and it’s written in an easier language than the 3rd. Lyricism takes precedence over motor rhythms. The orchestration is richer too, though not thicker. The first movement is a kind of tortured allegro which has a very rich vein of lyricism; proof, if it were needed, that even towards the end of his life Martinů could produce a work so full of life. The middle movement is a kind of disturbed night music enclosed within a chorale. The finale, although fast, isn’t one of his insistent moto perpetuos, rather it’s easy-going, again full of the life spirit. Koukl…gives an especially fine interpretation of the slow movement…The Concertino is an earlier work and has a little of the Martinů of the 1920s Paris years, but with a deeply searching slow movement—a very serious section within a lightish piece…this issue will give a lot of pleasure… • Bob Briggs, MusicWeb International, April 2010

CD

Muzyka klasyczna

Naxos

11-01-2010

747313220670