Martinů: Koncert pro housle a klavír, Houslová sonáta č. 3, Pět krátkých skladeb - CD

This CD presents Bohuslav Martinů’s music for violin and piano, including the Concerto for Violin, Piano and Orchestra, Violin Sonata No. 3 and Five Short Pieces. Martinů himself was a violinist, but the piano’s colour is also a distinctive signature in many of his symphonic scores. The two instruments meet as soloists in the concerto, commissioned by the Rabinofs and premiered in May 1954. Written alongside the Sixth Symphony, it is a remarkable work that is performed only rarely today. Violin Sonata No. 3, composed in 1944 during Martinů’s American period, has long been part of the repertoire of violinists worldwide. Its monumental length recalls a symphony, while its contrasts between drama and lyricism include a distinctly nostalgic connection with the composer’s Czech roots. The Five Short Pieces, composed in Paris in 1930, offer a different character, with sharper and more colourful harmonies, flirtations with the Charleston and a tendency towards contrapuntal writing. The recording features violinist Josef Špaček, pianist Miroslav Sekera, the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra and conductor Petr Popelka.