Recently Heard: Symphony No. 6 (Fantaisies Symphoniques) by Bohuslav Martinu

[ellyssian]

Bohuslav Martinu: Symphony No. 6 - Symphoniy Orchestra St. Gallen conducted by Jiri Kout

Symphony No. 6 (Fantaisies Symphoniques)
Les Fresques de Piero della Francesca
Orchestral Suite "Juliette"

A cello player in Burlington, MA first recommended that I check out Martinu, given my taste in dark works for string orchestra - I believe we had been discussing some Janacek pieces and Bartok's Divertimento.

I already had a performance of Les Fresques de Piero della Francesca on that original disc from a dozen-odd years ago, but these other two pieces were new to me.

Perhaps it is because I am familiar with it, but the Fresques is the standout piece on this recording. All three works have a fairly dark soundscape. One of the reasons I like Martinu in particular and Eastern European composers in general is because I like deep textures they tend to use.

All three pieces, including the symphony, are structured in three movements. The symphony further plays with tradition by having those three movements loosely structured - much less distinct than the changes between movements for the other two pieces.

I expect this disc to get a lot of spins, even outside of my usual classical listening time (Winter. Just tends to work out that way, usually.)