Gál, Martinu, Haas, Janácek & Slavicky: Oboe & Piano

Featuring

Viola Wilmsen
Kimiko Imani
Klement Slavicky
Leoš Janáček
Hans Gál
Bohuslav Martinů

Pavel Haas

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Composer's Artistic Vision

The album features works inspired by Moravian folk songs, including the Suites by Pavel Haas and Klement Slavický, and Leoš Janáček's opera Jenůfa.

Historical Context

With the exception of Leoš Janáček, all composers on this album were Jewish and faced the bitter experience of being forced to flee or cease their work due to persecution.

Performer Biography

Viola Wilmsen, the oboist on this album, was the first woman and first German to win the International Sony Oboe Competition in Japan in its 30-year history.

Recording & Production

The album is a co-production with Deutschlandradio and Avi-Service for music, recorded in December 2015 at Studio Britz in Berlin.

Composer Biography

Bohuslav Martinů, a composer who fled his homeland and could never return, used Moravian folk songs in his works to maintain a connection to his Czech roots.

Interpretation

The album's program was conceived to highlight the oboe's ability to produce long, singing melodies, closely connecting it to the human voice.

Interpretation

The album combines original oboe works with vocal compositions, like Bohuslav Martinů's early works and Pavel Haas's dramatic late Suite, which were adapted for the oboe.