Songs / Písně - CD

This recording presents songs by Bohuslav Martinů performed by soprano Martina Janková, baritone Tomáš Král and pianist Ivo Kahánek: Songs on One Page H 294, Songs on Two Pages H 302, New Slovak Songs H 126 and The New Garland H 288. Folk songs are probably one of the two strongest sources of inspiration behind Martinů’s entire output. The composer carried František Sušil’s extensive collection of Moravian folk songs with him on all his travels, and most of the folk texts in Songs on One Page, Songs on Two Pages and The New Garland come from this collection. As Dvořák did in his Moravian Duets, Martinů composed his own melodies and accompaniment, while the profound influence of folk music, its rhythms, melodies and harmonic procedures remains unmistakable. The songs were written in the early 1940s during Martinů’s American exile in the midst of the Second World War, and represented a connection with home for the composer and his compatriots. Jan Masaryk often performed them with Metropolitan Opera soloist, soprano Jarmila Novotná. Through their expressive restraint and simplicity, these three song cycles offer a key to Martinů’s entire late output. The collection New Slovak Songs is unique in Martinů’s work: he collected the songs himself during his stay in Slovakia in 1920 and subsequently composed piano accompaniments for them. These three renowned performers, with an authentic relationship to folk music and Martinů’s work, present a recording that brings out the fragile beauty of these songs.