{"product_id":"martinu-chamber-music-with-flute","title":"Martinu: Chamber Music with Flute","description":"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eMARTINU\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12b\"\u003e Sonata for Flute, Violin and Piano.\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e1\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12b\"\u003e Flute Sonata.\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e2\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12b\"\u003e Sextet for Piano and Winds.\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e3\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12b\"\u003e Trio for Flute, Cello and Piano\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e4 \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"BULLET12\"\u003e • \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e Fenwick Smith (fl); Sally Pinkas (pn); \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e1\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eHaldan Martinson (vn); \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e2,3\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eJohn Ferrillo (ob); \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e2,3\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eThomas Martin (cl); \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e2,3\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eRichard Ranti, \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e2,3\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eSuzanne Nelson (bsn); \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"SUPER12\"\u003e4\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eRhonda Ryder (vc) \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"BULLET12\"\u003e • \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e NAXOS 8.572467 (68:50) \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eExtremely prolific, Bohuslav Martin? composed almost 400 works, including a great many songs and pieces for piano and a wide array of chamber ensembles. In the sampling presented on this CD, the flute is given a star turn in three of the four pieces, while serving as an equal partner in the Sextet. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eThe Sonata for Flute, Violin and Piano, composed in 1936 and consisting of four movements, demonstrates the overt influence of Ravel and of Martin??s mentor Roussel. It opens with a chipper, cheeky Allegro poco moderato, followed by a pastoral Adagio in 3\/4 time. Next comes an energetic Allegretto, a scherzo and trio in standard A-B-A form, with syncopated rhythms and accents suggestive of both Czech dance music and jazz, two idioms frequently used by the composer throughout his career. The concluding Moderato opens with an extended and somewhat discordant piano solo, followed by several discrete sections that, for this listener at least, do not cohere; this rather unsatisfying movement seems like a needless add-on that does not fit with the rest of the work, which forms a quite satisfying whole without it. As so often with Martin?, there are numerous quirky little byways at various points that bring to mind Robert Frost’s allusion to roads not taken. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eThe Flute Sonata from 1945 has a traditional three-movement fast-slow-fast layout. The initial Allegro Moderato is immediately recognizable as quintessential Martin? in its angular melodic and harmonic contours, followed by a solemn, stately Adagio. Reflecting the composer’s years of exile in the U.S. during World War II, the closing Allegro poco moderato suggests the influence of American dance rhythms \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eà la \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003eAaron Copland before passing to a whirlwind of runs and flurries. At several points it incorporates the call of the whippoorwill, heard by Martin? at various locales in New England. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eAn early work dating from 1929, the five-movement Sextet for Piano and Winds opens with a Preludium: Poco andante that presents a series of shifting moods, difficult to capture and describe. The succeeding Adagio, darker, more meditative, is slightly reminiscent of Sibelius. Succeeding this are two dance movements marked Scherzo: Allegro vivo and Blues, respectively sub-captioned Divertimento I and II, both characterized by spiky, jazzy rhythms and cascading runs. A spirited, upbeat Allegro finale brings the piece to an ebullient close. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eThe three-movement Trio for Flute, Cello, and Piano from 1944 is close kin to the Flute Sonata of the following year. A Poco allegretto opening has a genial spirit and infectious motoric rhythms. The following Adagio starts in a quietly reflective mood and then shifts to a more declamatory bardic vein before coming to a peaceful close. After a brief slow introduction, the concluding Andante–Allegretto scherzando launches its main section with a turbulent, running first theme that alternates with a more measured second subject, though energetic bustle predominates throughout. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eThese are extremely able performances that fully capture all the elusive quicksilver elements of the composer’s style. Flutist Fenwick Smith has a bright, penetrating tone that is never harsh or shrill, and has a sure rapport with his various colleagues. The sound quality and booklet notes are up to typical solid Naxos standards. As far as recorded competition is concerned, there are more than 20 recordings in print of the Flute Sonata, mostly in mixed flute anthology CDs rather than discs devoted to Martin?; thus one’s choice may be primarily determined by the couplings, though as an individual performance this is competitive with any others I’ve heard. The most direct overall competition to this issue is a Hungaroton disc with the Forrás Ensemble, featuring the Flute Sonata, the Trio, and the Sextet; however, while those performances are also of a high caliber, it is a full-price CD costing twice as much, making this issue an easy preference. Other performances of the Sextet are available on an exorbitantly priced Nuance CD, a full-priced MDG CD (blasted by Barry Brenesal in \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eFanfare\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e 30:6, who recommended the Hungaroton performance instead), and a mid-priced Supraphon CD by the Prague Wind Quintet, specifically devoted to Martin??s jazz-inspired compositions. The Trio is offered in performances issued by Klavier (reviewed by me elsewhere in this issue), BIS (full price), Hyperion (a two-CD budget issue with the Dartington Ensemble that also includes\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003e La Revue de Cuisine\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e, the Nonet, the Madrigal Sonata for Flute, Violin, and Piano, and other Madrigal compositions), and an earlier Naxos release with the Feinstein Ensemble that also includes the Flute Sonata. The other sonata is available at full price from Kontrapunkt, and midprice from Analekta (on a CD also including the Flute Sonata). I prefer the present performance to any of these; it is more energetic than the Feinstein, and far more characterful than the glibly superficial and harshly recorded Dartington traversal (defects afflicting that entire two-CD set). In sum, this is a top-drawer recommendation for anyone attracted either to Martin? or to 20th-century flute chamber music repertoire. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"font-weight:bold\"\u003eFANFARE: James A. Altena \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e It’s rather unusual, and therefore welcome, to find a disc devoted so squarely to Martin?’s chamber works involving the flute Normally one finds that companies prefer a more across the board approach, mixing the flute works with, say, the Madrigal sonatas or with  \u003ci\u003eLa Revue de Cuisine\u003c\/i\u003e or with the Nonet. Or one finds a presentation of the Czech composer’s works in the context of near contemporaries, such as Poulenc and Prokofiev, in an exploration specifically of the powerfully attractive Flute Sonata. So, it’s pleasing to find a disc such as this, which has the confidence to focus closely. \u003cbr\u003e    \u003cbr\u003e  The Sonata for flute, violin and piano H.254 was written in 1936 and dedicated to the wife of Marcel Moÿse, whose husband, Marcel, gave the premiere in a ‘family affair’ performance with Louis Moÿse and Blanche Moÿse Honegger. Interestingly a 1938 performance by this august trio has survived and was issued on a Martin? Society promotional CD in 2005. The present Naxos performance is good but sounds somewhat ‘sewing machine’ in places, especially in comparison with the more specialised Gallic charm of the older trio’s performance. The slow movement, though, has tenderness and a real sense of affection and it seems pedantic, given the finesse of the playing, to note that the Moÿse performance had a more aloofly yielding introspection in this movement. Where I do feel a decided superiority in the older performance is in the finale, where the Naxos trio make rather too much of a contrast when moving into the B section; it sounds much better when, as with the Moÿse, you slide into it without too much fuss. \u003cbr\u003e    \u003cbr\u003e  Probably the best known of the quartet in this selection is the Flute Sonata. Fenwick Smith and Sally Pinkas are assured guides but take a decidedly less incisive approach than, say, Jean-Pierre Rampal and John Steele Ritter [SK53106, in a very mixed mainly vocal recital by Kathleen Battle]. I prefer Ritter’s more arresting pianism and the greater sense of characterisation generated by the Rampal-Ritter duo generally. Perhaps the Naxos duo honour the finale’s  \u003ci\u003eAllegro poco moderato\u003c\/i\u003e injunction just a touch better in the slightly steadier tempo they adopt - but Rampal does shape the birdsong more inventively in any case. \u003cbr\u003e    \u003cbr\u003e  The Sextet for piano and winds is the earliest work here, dating from 1929. It’s cast in five brief movements, and utilises baroque punctuation adeptly. There’s a beautiful Adagio, and a Blues in which the bassoon imitates a night club saxophone; then a vivacious finale. This Sextet reminds us of  \u003ci\u003eLa Revue de Cuisine,\u003c\/i\u003e especially in its use of the vampy and Stride-patterned piano contributions and the infectious liveliness of the writing. The Trio for flute, cello and piano H.300 (1944) is an attractive work, and sports one truly memorable idea - the flute recitative over accompanying cello pizzicato figures. It’s a fluid and leisurely piece, in all respects, not from the top drawer but marked by consummate craftsmanship. \u003cbr\u003e    \u003cbr\u003e  Well recorded over a period of years in two locations, these performances have been artfully brought together. None is a front-ranker, quite, but all are highly personable. \u003cbr\u003e    \u003cbr\u003e  -- Jonathan Woolf, MusicWeb International \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":49682282250520,"sku":"747313246779","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/1698497.jpg?v=1777571836","url":"https:\/\/hbdirect.com\/products\/martinu-chamber-music-with-flute","provider":"HBDirect","version":"1.0","type":"link"}