Bohuslav Martinu, a leading 20th-century composer, wrote prolifically for the cello, including three sonatas, two large concerti, and several other works.
Historical Context
Martinu's Sonata No. 1, completed in Paris in May 1939, embodies the "furor of the painful storm" of World War II, as Czechoslovakia had fallen to the Nazis.
Album & Artwork
This album, "John Walz: A Tribute to Pierre Fournier," is dedicated to the French cellist Pierre Fournier, who was John Walz's teacher and a significant influence.
Instruments
John Walz plays a Johann Adam Martin cello made in 1765 in Markneukirchen, Saxony, a region close to the modern-day Czech Republic, relevant for the Martinu works.
Historical Context
Couperin's 'Pièces en Concert' were extracted and orchestrated by Paul Bazelaire in the mid-1920s, as few had heard Couperin's music since 1750 before this transcription.
Composition History
The Martinu Cello Concerto No. 1 on this album is the final 1955 revision, which the composer created due to his "shock at the bad orchestration" of an earlier 1939 version.
Composition History
The Vivaldi Cello Concerto in E Minor and Couperin's 'Pièces en Concert' are presented in orchestrations by Paul Bazelaire, a renowned pedagogue and transcriber.
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