Martinu: Essential Works for Beginners

[@richfarmer3478]

I discovered Martinu in 1985 when, on impulse,( I was unfamiliar with him) I bought an LP from a budget bin. It was the symphony no.4 and the Sinfonietta La Jolla conducted by Walter Weller. I loved it and have been a fan ever since.

[@geertdecoster5301]

Martinu: "Music must be beautiful, or it wouldn't be worth the effort."🍷Nothing makes sense till the Bureau of Dreams indeed... oh those frescoes! Why is this great composer of the last century not more know?

[@mickeytheviewmoo]

Concerto for Two String Orchestras, Piano and Timpani, is a favourite of mine. I can never understand why this piece has very few recordings when Bartok is flogged to death. Thankyou to Charles Mackerras. An absolute saviour.

[@MrEdmundHarris]

Oh yeah - totally. Harrowing, but amazing piece of music, and absolutely essential listening.

[@fulltongrace7899]

I love when you feature Martinu’s music. I am familiar with most of your list the exception being the Nonet. I would highly recommend his ballet music Spalicek which was arranged into two suites. Delightful signature Martinu.

[@IgnatzKolisch]

I don't think I'd ever heard a note of Martinu until one of your videos from a couple of years ago. He quickly became one of my absolute favourite composers. I can't ever thank you enough for it, and I hope this video gives some other lucky person the same joyful exploration and experience that I got from your earlier video!

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Thank you for the endorsement (of Martinu)! I'm so happy that you enjoy his music.

[@MegaVicar]

Several years ago I wisely followed your recommendation and bought his symphony cycle. Many other discs later, I'm still finding new pieces to enjoy. Thank you for your continuing efforts to enlighten us!

[@mrhenu]

My favorite composer! This is a good list :)

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I know. That's why I made it.

[@michaeltravisano1161]

I love revue de cuisine. I hope you will do a whole video on that.

[@rileysdad1923]

Love Martunu! My favourite composer. 6th symphony was my gateway to classical music.

[@neiltheblaze]

I'd put in a plug for his string quartets too. They are wonderful, imaginative, accessible works that are as magical as anything he put to paper. Martinu is always himself no matter the idiom he's composing in - his sound is so unique and so identifiable. This is a great list and will be very helpful to me. Just last week I listened to all of Martinu's symphonies and string quartets and was thinking about where I wanted to go next with my Martinu collection. Then your list showed up. It's like I thought it and you said, "Here you go!" So thanks for that.

[@ericleiter6179]

I couldn't agree more about his quartets...they are just as compelling as his symphonies and concertos imo

[@scotttisdel138]

Thanks for continuing to promote Martinu's wonderful music! You mentioned there is no good recording of Juliette - That is certainly true, and recordings of live performances are invariably heavily cut. For those interested in his operas, I would recommend two others, Ariane and Hry o Marii (Plays of Mary), both of which have excellent recordings. Ariane is only 40 minutes long and is a gorgeous example of his neo-classic style. Besides Revue de Cuisine, another great Martinu ballet is Spalicek, a very "folksy" and beautiful piece. There are two Spalicek suites, if you don't want to sit through the whole piece. There is so much wonderful music of Martinu! Two chorale pieces I love are: Romance of the Dandelions and Petrklic (Primrose). And since I'm a cellist, I absolutely love his 3rd Cello Sonata, and Variations on a Slovakian Theme, sublime works from the end of his life. My wife and I have performed both many times. Once you go down the Martinu rabbit hole, you may never come out!

[@fulltongrace7899]

I love his first Cello Concerto.

[@SarahLeizer-fc1jq]

Thanks again for the tips, Dave. I've just heard the 4th symphony for the first time and I'm still catching my breath, a feeling I hadn't t had for a while when listening to a new work. I was impressed with Walter Weller's version on youtube with the Spanish ORTVE. Millions of notes and they all miraculously audible.

[@Warp75]

Last year because of you getting into Martinu was a great experience. I bought the Bryden Thomson Symphony box for starters & went from there

[@mirkoeinhorn09]

Dear Dave, not least thanks to your suggestions, I have immersed myself deeply in Czech music over the last year and a half. Of course I already knew a bit of Dvorak, Smetana and Janacek, but there was and is so much to discover. The biggest discoveries for me were Janacek's operas and Martinu. What geniuses! For me, the latter is now undoubtedly one of the greatest composers of the 20th century and should be mentioned in the same breath as Bartok, Stravinsky or Shostakovich. Thank you for helping to open my eyes to this music. By the way, I would have included at least one work for cello in the list. With his three sonatas and two concertos, Martinu has enriched the repertoire like hardly any of his contemporaries and the music is enchanting. Speaking of Czech music, could you dedicate a video to Vitezslav Novak? I have come to appreciate him very much and I think he deserves more attention. Thank you very much and all the best!

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I've talked about his music (the ballet Nikotina especially) in a couple of videos, but I'll think about doing more. I do like him very much.

[@mirkoeinhorn09]

@@DavesClassicalGuide That's right, I've seen that. Unfortunately, I haven't yet managed to get my hands on a recording of Nikotina. Pan would also be worth a video or the Slovakian Suite op. 32, which I find almost as beautiful as Suk's Summer Tale.

[@leestamm3187]

Great selections, as usual. The Sinfonietta La Jolla is a personal favorite.

[@bbailey7818]

Julietta is the Twilight Zone of operas. I saw a University of Washington production of it (back when they did that kind of thing) and I'll never forget it. Martinu was the perfect composer for its bizarre dreamscape.

[@sarsedacn]

I think his chamber music piece for a quarter and Theremin is amazing. It's quite an achievement that incorporeal the voice of theremin beautifully and creates a unique atmosphere. The introduction of theremin is just unbelievably good ❤

[@pauldavidartistclub6723]

I had spent years trying to enjoy Martinů, in fact there was a Hyperion disc of his music among my earliest CD purchases when I started to get really serious about my classical collection (after years of basic repertoire stuff). But it wasn’t until you (David) a few years ago really explained him in a way that opened me up to his prolific output. So thank you

[@ericleiter6179]

I have loved the music of Martinu ever since I heard the Concerto for Two String Orchestras, Piano and Timpani on classical radio...Dave has definitely made some great surveys on his output, and I am always happy to get his suggestions on this; Martinu's catalog is a vast yet tremendous goldmine!...but this talk gave me an idea for a new miniseries to suggest: Fingerprints...as you mentioned about Martinu's favorite chord progression, I know you have mentioned similar Fingerprints of the masters in the past and it might be fun (and important) to talk more about this...just an idea

[@MrFvasconcellos]

A wonderfully insightful primer on my favorite composer of all time. (And the "Toccata" singalong was a nice surprise! 😂)

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I'm dazzled that you (a) got the reference and (b) got it even through my singing.

[@ondrejsedo8659]

Martinů must have had some graphomania - not only did he write so much music, but each individual part is composed of tiny, mostly non-repeating clusters of notes that he simply had to write down. BTW, is there any musicological analysis comparing the number of notes written by composers during their lifetime? Martinů would be a hot candidate for one of the top positions.

[@lordhighexecutioner]

Horror movie music? Michael Findlay used that piece prominently in films like SHRIEK OF THE MUTILATED and INVASION OF THE BLOOD FARMERS! Not to mention... earlier efforts.