The character names in Martinů's Puppets are inspired by commedia dell'arte, and the music often features stylized dances, such as a 'shimmy' in The New Puppet.
Composition History
The piece 'The Fifth Day of the Fifth Moon' draws inspiration from the poetry of Su Tungpo, a Chinese poet, as found in Lin Yutang's book 'The Gay Genius'.
Composer Biography
Martinů began composing at the age of ten and later moved to Paris in 1923 to study with Albert Roussel, before relocating to the United States in the 1940s to escape Nazi occupation.
Performer Biography
Giorgio Koukl, the pianist on this album, first encountered Martinů's music during a masterclass with Rudolf Firkušný and was inspired to incorporate it into his repertoire.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Martinů was a prolific composer, writing over four hundred pieces of music, with about eighty of them for the piano.
Composition History
The three sets of Puppets (Loutky) by Martinů are named in reverse chronological order: Puppets III was written first in 1914, then Puppets II in 1918, and finally Puppets I in 1924.
Composer Biography
Bohuslav Martinů, the composer, was born in a church tower in Polička, a small Bohemian town in what is now the Czech Republic.
