The complete music for violin and orchestra Volume 2:
Concerto da camera for violin and string orchestra with piano and percussion H285
Concerto for violin, piano and orchestra H342
Czech Rhapsody H307a

This is the second volume in Hyperion’s set of the complete works for violin and orchestra by Martinu, featuring the wonderful Bohuslav Matoušek with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra under Christopher Hogwood. Many first recordings are included in the series, as well as works totally unperformed outside the Czech Republic. Included here is the Concerto da camera, a favourite among Martinu’s instrumental concertos because of the freshness of its musical invention, the sensual sound of the orchestral part and the virtuosity of the solo parts. The joyful Czech Rhapsody is a thrilling virtuoso work, dedicated to Kreisler. The Concerto for violin, piano and orchestra is an enigmatic and highly personal work, structurally driven by its emotional nature and perhaps echoing the crisis in the composer’s personal life, caused by the sudden breakdown in the summer of 1952 of his long-term relationship with Rosalyn Barstow.

GRAMOPHONE RECOMMENDS

'[Concerto da camera] With its fresh invention and lively demeanour, this remains one of his more popular concertos although it has never received its due on disc. This newcomer sets that omission straight, however, crisply performed and immaculately recorded. The same applies to its companion pieces … Strongly recommended' (Gramophone)

'Christopher Hogwood and Bohuslav Matousek are entirely at home with this repertoire: there is a wealth of interpretative details, but what impresses most is the bigger picture and strong sense of where Martinu is going … In this clear recording there is a huge amount to enjoy' (BBC Music Magazine)

'The Concerto da Camera is an inventive and satisfying score in Martinu's Concerto Grosso mode with an appealing variation first movement radiating vitality … Christopher Hogwood has developed into an outstanding Martinu interpreter and the performances are first-class' (International Record Review)

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CDA 67671 vol 1; CDA 67673 vol 3; CDA 67674 vol 4