Giorgio Koukl, the pianist, first encountered Martinů's music during a masterclass with Rudolf Firkušný, a Czech pianist and composer who was a friend of Martinů.
Composer Biography
Bohuslav Martinů, the composer, was born in a church tower in Polička, a Bohemian village in what is now the Czech Republic.
Composition History
The pieces on this album were composed between 1920 and 1938, mostly during Martinů's 'Parisian era' before he emigrated to America in 1940.
Performer Biography
Giorgio Koukl, the pianist, moved to Switzerland in 1968, the same year Russian tanks rolled into Prague, mirroring how Martinů left Paris in 1938 to escape the Nazis.
Composer Biography
Martinů began composing at age ten, two years after starting violin studies, and later moved to Paris in 1923 to study with Albert Roussel.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Martinů believed that new musical expression should come from a composer's personality and experiences, not from chasing novelty or unusual technical means.
You might also enjoy...
Alkan: Early Works & Juvenilia
Széchényi: Dances for Piano
Klarinettenquintett
Beethoven, L. Van: Symphonies (Arr. F. Liszt for Piano), Vol. 1 (Biret) - Nos. 1, 2
Ferenc Farkas: Piano Works, Vol. 1
Joplin: Rags
Rachmaninov: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini - Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No. 7 - Stravinsky: Petrushka
Joplin: Marches, Waltzes and Rags
Antonin Kubalek Plays Smetana: Czech Dances • Reveries
Music of Basile Barès
Lecuona: Y la negra Bailaba!
Kapustin: 24 Jazz Preludes, Op. 53: No. 10
Johnson: An Hour for Piano
Grünfeld: Paraphrase über den Frühlingsstimmen Walzer, Op. 57
