Symphonies Nos 3 And 4 - CD

Bohuslav Martinů: Symphonies Nos 3 And 4 version on CD in Standard edition. This particular edition was published in Europe in publishing company Supraphon on 20. January 2010.

Product information:The monumental compositional legacy of 20th century classical music master Bohuslav Martinů has become an integral part of the live repertoire of concert stages and opera houses around the world in recent decades. Martinů's six symphonies literally represent so many of the solid cornerstones of new-age symphonism. Although the symphonies have become staples of the repertoire of major orchestras around the world, few complete recordings of this part of Martinů's oeuvre exist. So today, more than two and a half decades since the release of the complete set recorded for Supraphon by the Czech Philharmonic under Václav Neumann, the leading Czech orchestra is once again called to the same task, this time by Jiří Bělohlávek, a leading connoisseur and tireless advocate of Martinů's work in his homeland and internationally - to present a new generational approach to Martinů's symphonic legacy with a fresh complete set of his six symphonies. The first CD in this series contains Symphonies Nos. 3 and 4. The recording of the complete set is made with the expert consultation and significant assistance of the Bohuslav Martinů Foundation in Prague. The entire project will be completed within the next two years. Symphonies of Bohuslav Martinů performed by a new generation of musicians. www. klassik-heute. com Although the Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů (1890-1959) wrote many different works for orchestra, he is not necessarily considered a "symphonist" in the traditional, exclusive sense. The six symphonies were written in a relatively short period of his career, especially in his later years, and although they are typical of the composer's sound and harmony, they are not typical of his personal style, which was more likely to be found in concertante works or symphonic poems. They are, however, attractive, sonically sensuous works that represent a link to tradition rather than 'progress' within 20th century symphonic music. Jiří Bělohlávek is currently working on a complete recording of six of Martinů's symphonies based on revised editions of the scores, with meticulous attention to orchestral accuracy, tonal presence and rhythmic precision. The characters of the movements are convincingly drawn out, and the various structural concepts - three-part in the third symphony, with the fourth featuring a fiercely athletic scherzo movement second only to the Largo - are vividly realised. The technique of the recording is exemplarily present without being garish.Hartmut Lück (27.05.2004)Artistic quality: 9Sound quality: 9Overall impression: 9

Album spans genres Classical, Modernism and Czechoslovakian classics.