Martinu: Fresques De Piero Della Francesca (Les) / Viola Rhapsody-Concerto / Double Concerto

Featuring

James DePreist
Nobuko Imai
Isolda Suslak
Lars Gärd
Malmö SymfoniOrkester
Bohuslav Martinů

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Composer's Artistic Vision

Martinů dedicated his Double Concerto to Paul Sacher, a Swiss conductor, noting their 'peaceful and anguished stay in Schonenberg between the deer and the threat of war'.

Composition History

Martinů's Double Concerto was completed on September 19, 1938, the same day the Munich Agreement was signed, which preceded the German invasion of his homeland.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Martinů's work, The Frescos of Piero della Francesca, was inspired by Renaissance painter Piero della Francesca's frescos in Arezzo, aiming to translate their 'solemn frozen silence' into music.

Notable Performances

At the premiere of the Double Concerto in Basel in 1940, composer Arthur Honegger was moved to tears and embraced Martinů, praising the music's unity of diverse elements.

Performer Biography

Nobuko Imai, the violist on this recording, is the only violist to have won top prizes at both the Munich and Geneva International Viola Competitions.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Martinů described his shift in compositional style, exemplified by the Rhapsody Concerto, as a move 'from geometry back to fantasy', seeking greater freedom of expression.

Composer Biography

Bohuslav Martinů, the composer, wrote most of his extensive output while in exile, deeply influenced by homesickness and a keen interest in events in Czechoslovakia.