Martinů: The complete music for violin and orchestra, Vol. 2

This is the second volume in Hyperion’s set of the complete works for violin and orchestra by Martinu, 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 Martinu’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.

All of the music on this album is also available as part of the specially priced box set Martinů: The complete music for violin and orchestra: ‘Throughout, Bohuslav Matoušek provides dazzling figuration while mining the rich vein of sentiment in such later works as the Concerto for violin and piano and the Rhapsody-Concerto. The recordings are all excellent; with superbly detailed liner notes by Aleš Březina, the whole issue is very recommendable’ (BBC Music Magazine).

CDA67672  64 minutes 24 seconds
GRAMOPHONE RECOMMENDS
‘With its fresh invention and lively demeanour, [Concerto da camera] remains one of his more popular concertos although it has never received its due on disc. This newcomer sets that omission straight ...
‘Christopher Hogwood and Bohuslav Matoušek are entirely at home with this repertoire: there is a wealth of interpretative details, but what impresses most is the bigger picture and strong sense of whe ...
‘The Concerto da Camera is an inventive and satisfying score in Martinů's Concerto Grosso mode with an appealing variation first movement radiating vitality … Christopher Hogwood has developed in ...