In 1923, Martinů moved to Paris and was profoundly influenced by the music of Igor Stravinsky, hearing works like The Rite of Spring and Petrushka, which directly marked his early orchestral scores.
Composition History
The Piano Quintet No.2 H.298 was commissioned by Miss Fanny P. Mason of Boston and was first publicly performed in New York on December 4, 1945.
Composer Biography
Martinů was expelled from the Prague Conservatory due to 'incurable laziness', as he found it impossible to learn for learning's sake and struggled with strict counterpoint rules.
Composition History
Martinů's Piano Quartet H.287 was commissioned by the Chamber Music Guild Quartet and premiered in New York in 1942.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Martinů stated that his unique upbringing gave him an original outlook on life, leading him to express "space and nature, not human activity" in his music.
Composer Biography
Bohuslav Martinů, the composer, spent his early childhood 15 meters above the marketplace in the bell-tower of a church in Polička, a small village on the Czech-Moravian border.
Performer Biography
The Kocian Quartet, founded in 1972, is named after the violin virtuoso and teacher Jaroslav Kocian (1883-1950), a world-famous pupil of Otakar Sevčík.
You might also enjoy...
Pilati & Longo: Piano Quintets
Piano Quintets
Pnina Salzman, Vol. 4
Taneyev: Piano Quintet in G Minor, Op. 30 & Piano Quartet in E Major, Op. 20
Brahms: Piano Quartet No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 60 - Dvorák: Piano Quintet No. 2 in A Major, Op. 81 - Heifetz Remastered
Taneyev • Schumann
Richard Carrick: The Atlas
Frank Brigde: Piano Quintet in D Minor; César Franck: Piano Quintet in F Minor
Bloch: Piano Quintets
Fauré: 3 (Quintettes avec piano, Op. 89 & 115)
Germaine Tailleferre: Fantaisie sur un thème donné de Georges Caussade
