Martinu: Symphonies

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Martinu's blend of the neo-classic and Romantic in his symphonies is fascinating listening. All six works have solid musical interest, and several are truly outstanding. The Third, a response to the carnage of World War II, with a muted, almost anti-climactic ending is moving; the optimistic Fourth, with its radiant Largo, is among his finest, and the energetic Fifth make his "war" symphonies unmissable. The Sixth, subtitled "Fantaises symphoniques") is remarkable in its free form but coherent approach. The first two symphonies are notable for their handling of orchestral sonorities and his typical rhythmic inventiveness and energy. While one's instinct is to favor conductors and orchestras from Martinu's native Czechoslovakia, Thomson and his Scottish band play with an idiomatic tang and drive that makes this the preferred complete symphony cycle. The orchestra's biting brass, colorful winds, and exuberant strings are first-rate. Thomson's firm grip on Martinu's elusive style means that even his interpretive liberties are convincing, like his flowing tempo for the Third's Largo movement which is usually taken much more slowly. He builds Martinu's symphonic frameworks so that however wayward they may appear at first, they wind up making sense. Other performances of some symphonies may have an edge, like Ancerl's near-miraculous Fifth and Sixth, but with its excellent sonics, playing, and conducting, this one sweeps the boards. --Dan Davis

Martinu: Symphonies, Music, Bohuslav Martinu, Bryden Thomson, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, 20th/21st Century Symphony, Classical, Classical Composers, Orchestral & Symphonic, Symphonic

Carson Cooman: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 3
Average customer rating:

Very Satisfying, Stimulating Listening!

Superb, expansive music from contemporary composer

Carson Cooman: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 3

Manufacturer: Naxos American
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
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Alla Pavlova: Symphony No. 5; Elegy

Michael Hersch: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2

ASIN: B000NOIWSK
Release Date: 2007-04-24

Customer Reviews:

Very Satisfying, Stimulating Listening! .......2007-06-04

Cooman clearly knows how to write music that is challenging but also accessible to the ear and satisfying. The piano concerto is playful, the sonata is melodic and as I listen to the symphonies, I can hear the "love and rain" and the spiritual heart of the Ave Maria. If you want to enjoy classical music from a truly gifted contemporary composer, I recommend this CD.I'm glad I have it.

Superb, expansive music from contemporary composer.......2007-05-24

I am going to write this review from the simply enjoyment point of view,
w/o any analysis of the musical forms, etc, and that isn't my specialty
anyway.

I like to try out CD's from Naxos, including modern composers. Since the
prices are so reasonable, even if the newer music isn't the greatest,
all their CD's are worth at least a few listens. That's one of the great things
about Naxos, small risk for generally high quality. Thus I knew
nothing about this composer other than the high praise I read in the
newspaper from the company that has listings from Naxos and other labels.

This CD turned out to be a spectacular winner. Mr. Cooman can really
compose some excellent, highly listenable music, and on this
CD there is an amazing variety of featured instruments (all composed for
very well in my opinion): flute, piano, violin and organ twice, strings
elsewhere, etc. And you don't hear what you would expect given the types
of compositions on the CD. Yes, there are (2) symphonies, a piano
concerto, a partita, a concerto for violin and organ, and more, but what
makes this CD so enjoyable is that it flows so beautifully, as if it were
a concept work, whatever the types of compositions (I have not read the
liner notes to see if that was the intention).

If you like classical music, I'd say get this CD immediately!

Average customer rating:

An unexpected gem

Martinu: Symphonies

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
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Honegger: Symphonies 1-5; Pacific 231; Rugby

ASIN: B0009F66PY
Release Date: 2005-06-21

Tracks:

I. Moderato-Poco Piu Mosso
II. Scherzo. Allegro-Trio. Poco Moderato
III. Largo
IV. Allegro Non Troppo
I. Adagio-Allegro
II. Larghetto
III. Lento-Allegro

Tracks:

I. Allegro Moderato
II. Andante Moderato
III. Poco Allegro
IV. Allegro
I. Lento-Andante Moderato-Allegro-Lento
II. Poco Allegro
III. Lento-Poco Vivo: Adagio-Allegro-Allegro Vivace-Lento

Tracks:

I. Allegro Poco Moderato
II. Largo
III. Allegro-Andante
I. Poco Moderato
II. Allegro Vivo-Trio. Moderato-Allegro Vivo
III. Largo
IV. Poco Allegro

Amazon.com

Martinu's blend of the neo-classic and Romantic in his symphonies is fascinating listening. All six works have solid musical interest, and several are truly outstanding. The Third, a response to the carnage of World War II, with a muted, almost anti-climactic ending is moving; the optimistic Fourth, with its radiant Largo, is among his finest, and the energetic Fifth make his "war" symphonies unmissable. The Sixth, subtitled "Fantaises symphoniques") is remarkable in its free form but coherent approach. The first two symphonies are notable for their handling of orchestral sonorities and his typical rhythmic inventiveness and energy. While one's instinct is to favor conductors and orchestras from Martinu's native Czechoslovakia, Thomson and his Scottish band play with an idiomatic tang and drive that makes this the preferred complete symphony cycle. The orchestra's biting brass, colorful winds, and exuberant strings are first-rate. Thomson's firm grip on Martinu's elusive style means that even his interpretive liberties are convincing, like his flowing tempo for the Third's Largo movement which is usually taken much more slowly. He builds Martinu's symphonic frameworks so that however wayward they may appear at first, they wind up making sense. Other performances of some symphonies may have an edge, like Ancerl's near-miraculous Fifth and Sixth, but with its excellent sonics, playing, and conducting, this one sweeps the boards. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

An unexpected gem.......2006-01-13

This has been my record find of the past few years. I've been raised on the Ancerl, Neumann and Belohlavek versions, all fine performances dead centre in the Czech tradition with Czech orchestras. Czech recordings too, at Supraphon studios or Prague Castle, venues with long reverberation times that give a thrilling sheen to the strings, but tend to mush the inner voices. Bryden Thomson and the Scottish National playing Martinu? Bax for sure, but not Martinu. Nevertheless, when these cds reappeared on the Chandos mid-price label I took the plunge, and a great move that turned out to be. Thomson and his orchestra bring out the singing beauty of these works, the rhythmic vitality, but far more than that. Inner voices are clear for the first time in my experience, and Thomson has a far clearer grasp of the architecture of these works than any of his predecessors. I have the 4th Symphony in five different versions going back to Turnovsky, and although each performance offers one or two details that outshine the others, overall Thomson's is by fair margin the best. The recording is good, if a little over-bright, in the Chandos tradition. Too bad the British music press, who tend to go overboard in their support of domestic performers, were a touch lukewarm in their original assessment of these recordings. Perhaps even more than his Bax cycle, they are the jewels of Thomson's musical legacy.

Average customer rating:

Martinu, Genius. Neumann, Friendly.

Martinu: Symphonies

Manufacturer: Supraphon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00000I7LB
Release Date: 1994-04-20

Customer Reviews:

Martinu, Genius. Neumann, Friendly........2002-07-09

But not exceptional.

Listening to Martinu's music is to enter into a fascinating, unique sound world. It's at the same time beautiful, moving, and exciting. It's also very busy stuff, lots of syncopations.

His symphonies are terrific; I first fell in love with the 2nd (the opening tune is so cool), and the first soon followed, and then the rest. Neumann, as he says in one of the most egotistical interviews (included in the set), and the Czech Philharmonic have performed this music many, many times. And therein lies the problem, methinks.

This music is presented as a friendly stroll in the park. Friendly. Familiar. Blase. Now go listen to Ancerl, and you hear smoke from the instruments. Listen to Gibson on Chandos, and you have a combination of beautiful recorded sound and committed, interesting performances. I bet Jarvi (not yet heard) is a good bet, too.

Tracks:

Symphony No.1: I. Moderato - Poco piu mosso - B. Martinu
Symphony No.1: II. Scherzo: Allegro - Trio: Poco moderato - B. Martinu
Symphony No.1: III. Largo - B. Martinu
Symphony No.1: IV. Allegro non troppo - B. Martinu
Symphony No.5: I. Adagio - Allegro - B. Martinu
Symphony No.5: II. Larghetto - B. Martinu
Symphony No.5: III. Lento - Allegro - B. Martinu

Tracks:

Symphony No.2: I. Allegro moderato - B. Martinu
Symphony No.2: II. Andante moderato - B. Martinu
Symphony No.2: III. Poco allegro - B. Martinu
Symphony No.2: IV. Allegro - B. Martinu
Symphony No.6. (Fantaisies Symphoniques): I. Lento - Andante mode rato - Allegro - Lento - B. Martinu
Symphony No.6. (Fantaisies Symphoniques): II. Poco Allegro - B. Martinu
Symphony No.6. (Fantaisies Symphoniques): III. Lento-Poco vivo: adagio - Allegro - Allegro vivace - Lento - B. Martinu

Tracks:

Symphony No.3: I. Allegro poco moderato - Bohuslav Martinu
Symphony No.3: II. Largo - Bohuslav Martinu
Symphony No.3: III. Allegro - Andante - Bohuslav Martinu
Symphony No.4: I. Poco moderato - Bohuslav Martinu
Symphony No.4: II. Allegro vivo - Trio: Moderato - Allegro vivo - Bohuslav Martinu
Symphony No.4: III. Largo - Bohuslav Martinu
Symphony No.4: IV. Poco allegro - Bohuslav Martinu

Amazon.com

These six symphonies deserve a place in everyone's record collection. If you like modern, melodic symphonies--Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Vaughan Williams, or Copland, for instance--then these luminous, attractive scores are just the ticket. All were composed right here in the good old USA and premiered by our greatest orchestras. Martinu's refusal to return to Communist Czechoslovakia after the Second World War led to his neglect for years in his own country, and this in turn contributed to his obscurity in the years immediately following his death in 1959. Now he seems to be coming into his own, and these three magnificently played and recorded discs are a great way to take the plunge. - -David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

First-Rate.......2003-12-01

This is an excellent set of recordings of the Martinu symphonies. Martinu's orchestral work is both lovely and fascinating. There is much beautiful, lyrical music in these symphonies and Martinu's ability to bring forth unexpected and wholly satisfactory turns in the music is simply remarkable. Very satisfying listening and this complete set is an excellent way to experience some of Martinu's best work.

Average customer rating:

Martinu: The Six Symphonies

Manufacturer: Musical Heritage Society
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000B6537I

Average customer rating:

Martinu: The Symphonies

Manufacturer: Bis
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0000D9PK4
Release Date: 2003-09-30

Martinu: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 6 ("Fantaisies symphoniques")

Average customer rating:

Mark is right
To be avoided
An excellent recording!

Martinu: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 6 ("Fantaisies symphoniques")

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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Martinu: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 4

ASIN: B0000014DH
Release Date: 2000-10-05

Tracks:

Symphony No. 1: Moderato
Symphony No. 1: Allegro - Poco moderato - Allegro come prima
Symphony No. 1: Largo
Symphony No. 1: Allegro non troppo
Symphony No.6 'Fantaisies symphoniques': Lento - Allegro - Lento
Symphony No.6 'Fantaisies symphoniques': Poco allegro
Symphony No.6 'Fantaisies symphoniques': Lento - Poco vivo adagio - Andante - Moderato - Allegro Vivace - Lento

Customer Reviews:

Mark is right.......2006-12-03

If you've never heard any Martinu before, this set might pass for current. I can't think of any other way it would. It's a hideous performance. If you love Martinu's music, or even if you just mildly like it, avoid this recording. Bad performances can often be revelatory. I heard a live performance of Mahler's seventh once that stumbled over every transition. But I learned more about that symphony's structure from that gawky concert than I ever had from Bernstein's near perfect recording. I'm afraid, however, that the only thing this Martinu disc reveals is how badly Mr. Fagen conducts, in this performance at least.

To be avoided.......2006-01-14

Naxos has provided some excellent orchestral recordings in the past where low price is no indication of quality. Their Martinu cycle is unfortunately not one of them, and it is surprising the performances were passed for issue. Newcomers to the music would get little idea of it from these discs. In other recorded performances the orchestra has be shown as a good one, but something has gone badly wrong here. This is quite a serious matter as Naxos may often be bought by listeners wanting an introduction to music they don't know. Naxos should delete this set and try again.

At a similar price, an excellent performance of Symphony No 6, with the ST Gallen Orchestra conducted by Jiri Kout, is available on the Arte Nova label. It has interesting couplings of other Martinu works.

An excellent recording!.......1998-12-15

This CD is worth three times the price. The sound quality is superb, the strings shimmering, the ensemble excellent, and the music inspiring! Martinu is the most underrated composer of this century. An excellent and inventive composer, he knows how to put it all together. You won't be disappointed by the music or the quality of the recording. A terrific bargain!

Average customer rating:

Very Satisfying Disc

Martinu: Symphonies 1 & 2

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00000E6KR
Release Date: 1990-10-19

Customer Reviews:

Very Satisfying Disc.......2003-10-05

I'm surprised that the pairing of Martinu's Symphonies #1&2 is not more common, because they go together wonderfully to create a satisfying 60 minute listening experience. The performances are good, but the recording job could be a little better, but is still good enough for me. If you're interested in getting acquainted with Martinu's exhuberant work, this is a great place to start!

Bohuslav Martinu: Symphonies No. 1 & No. 2 - Bamberg Symphony / Neeme Järvi

Average customer rating:

Bohuslav Martinu: Symphonies No. 1 & No. 2 - Bamberg Symphony / Neeme Järvi
Bohuslav Martinu , Neeme Järvi , and Bamberg Symphony
Manufacturer: Bis
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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Bohuslav Martinu: Symphonies No. 3 & No. 4 - Bamberg Symphony / Neeme Järvi

ASIN: B0000016DH
Release Date: 1994-03-25

Tracks:

Moderato
Allegro
Largo
Allegro Non Troppo
Allegro Moderato
Andante Moderato
Poco Allegro
Allegro

Average customer rating:

To be avoided
My Introduction to Martinu

Martinu: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 5
Bohuslav Martinu , Arthur Fagen , and National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine
Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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Martinu: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 4

ASIN: B00005U4W2
Release Date: 2002-02-12

Tracks:

Symphony No. 3: Allegro poco moderato
Symphony No. 3: Largo
Symphony No. 3: Allegro-Andante-Andante poco moderato-Largamente
Symphony No. 5: Adagio-Allegro-Adagio-Allegro
Symphony No. 5: Larghetto
Symphony No. 5: Lento-Allegro-Poco Andante-Allegro

Customer Reviews:

To be avoided.......2006-01-14

My Introduction to Martinu.......2004-03-13

Sad to say, I really didn't know Martinu's music until a concert at the Cincinnati SO last month, where they took his marvelous Frescoes for an outing. I was riveted from the first movement to the last, and immediately set out to discover more of his work. I started here, with this marvelous collection of symphonies, each one unique, masterfully orchestrated, and impossible to forget even after a first listening. Kuchar and the Ukraine Orchestra have performed much neglected repertoire on Naxos over the years, from Prokofiev's symphonies to Ippolitov-Ivanov's colorful suites. Martinu's music is a much more formidible challenge, since there's so much going on here, and a second-rate orchestra cannot make this music work. It would simply dissolve into a formless mush of music and color. Kuchar has a keen eye on the development of each symphony, allowing even the novice listener to trace the journey through a succession of moods and landscapes.

The two symphonies form a nice contrast, since the Third is more tempesutous, with a rhythmic piano providing Stravinsky-ish percussion throughout. The Fifth, though volatile at times, is more lyrical and calm, with an expansive, glorious finale. But most of all, I'm surprised how "first rate" Martinu's voice is. There's no filler here, no tedious passages of bombast or hackenyed melodies; to me, it all works, and works so well I can't understand why his music isn't played as much as Prokofiev or Shostakovich. He's certainly less dour than the latter gentleman (if a touch less profound).

Once again, it pays to buy Naxos. It's a great way to dip your toe into uncharted waters, though I rarely find the Naxos recordings a mere introduction--they typically remain my first or second choice. I imagine this will be the case with Martinu's Third and Fifth symphonies. Highly recommended if you enjoy Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Stravisky, Respighi, Dvorak, Bax, Walton, or Vaughan-Williams.

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