Customer Reviews

Martinu: Flute Trios; Promenades; Madrigal Sonata

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

From the very opening of the Trio for Flute, Cello and Piano, I was taken in completely. Egad! What an enchanting, ingratiating and bubbly first movement! Martinu at his most affable and accessible. The work continues with an absolutely gorgeous, melodic Adagio and concludes with a third movement Andante-Allegretto every bit as beguiling as the opening Poco Allegretto. The CD would be worth owning for this trio alone. However, the delights don't cease here.

The Trio for Flute, Violin and Piano is a four movement affair with as much inspiration, depth and loveliness as its sister trio. The Adagio, most moving, should be particularly noted here. And the other movement? Absolutely infectious!

With the Promenades for Flute, Violin and Harpsichord (yes, harpsichord), Martinu titillates us with twentieth century twist on a baroque combination that would no doubt delight Papa Bach easily. The interplay between instruments is clever, pleasing and inventive.

Concluding the CD is the two-movement Madrigal Sonata for Flute, Violin and Piano. Rather "jazzy," and somewhat reminiscent of a theme or two from Bernstein's West Side Story, this piece has a "New York feel" to it that I truly enjoy.

If I were to select one Martinu chamber works CD that was musically, intellectually and emotionally satisfying, this would be it. Special praise should be given to each and every member of the Feinstein Ensemble for the glorious mutuality of their playing and for their musical empathy. And, as if this wasn't enough, Naxos has garnered a beautiful, realstic sound image.

[Running time: 54:41]

If this recording is an indication of Martinu at his prime, then I would certainly like to hear more. These works are entirely childlike, playful, and fun. They're like a stroll through grassy meadows and a trip to the circus all rolled into one. The composer has been ripped by more than one critic for being sloppy... lacking a sense of internal cohesion, you might say. I'm sure he's written some duds, but I get the sense that a lot of his good stuff has yet to gain a wider audience. In these chamber pieces, the sloppiness is a major part of the fun. The flute, violin, cello, piano, and harpsichord are alternately strutting around, having water fights on a summer day, getting peanut butter and jelly all over their faces, sulking, barking at the moon, and plopping down in the dirt. To me, the music personifies youth and an impetuous innocence, seasoned with a little bit of adult experience (hence the title of my review, from Blake's "Songs of Innocence.") This is absolutely great music for kids and kids at heart. It's a nice supplement to "bringing up baby on Bach."

No, you do not have to LOVE the flute to love this album. However, a bit of appreciation certainly helps. This is a CD full of charming and delightful tunes. It is thoroughly enjoyable, entertaining, and positively lovely.

Martinu's chamber pieces are all extremely varied and different, however they are all fun to listen. Some are perhaps a tad bit more dull than others, but mostly this CD is just great fun to listen to. There are many different instruments used here, from flutes, to cellos, to pianos, to a piece that introduces the harpsichord and could sound positively Baroque were it not for the music itself. These twists on old ideas lead to a very diverse and enjoyable disc.

Different styles, charming flutes... if you can't fully appreciate the flute than, a. Learn to appreciate it, and b. This may not be the disc for you. For everyone else (ESPECIALLY the flute/Martinu lover!), this CD is a perfect buy. It is an inexpensive, delightful CD that will make you smile upon hearing it.

The works on this disc might not counted among Martinu's greatest works, but they are hugely enjoyable and brimful of infectious joy. The Promenades dating from 1939,are delightfully gregarious and chatty, yet sleekly elegant, neo-classical pieces, and the Trio for flute, violin and piano are written in much the same manner, tinges of folk-music-inspired classicism mixed with Les Six and a touch of Ravel and Prokofiev. The trio for flute, cello and piano is a slightly more serious work, with a finely lyrical Adagio.

The performances are very fine, full of life and vigor, and the recorded sound is good as well. Some have complained that the programme is a little too unvaried for the disc to be listened to at one sitting, but personally I found the music captivating - the textures are sufficiently (though subtly) varied to sustain interest throughout. Recommended.

I just bought this, because I was running out of other Martinu music long before I'd run out of curiosity about his output. I needed my "fix", and this provided it. Martinu wrote a great deal of music, and in a great variety. I'd sidestep the whole debate about whether the total quality of his oeuvre is "variable" or whether all pieces are of equal quality. These pieces don't have the weightiness of (say) the 5th symphony or "Lidice". But little matter. Buy this music, get a glass of chilled white wine, and put this on the horn. You'll be charmed. The performances are sparkling and well executed. Its appealing music and well put together; most of the pieces have those characteristic musical fingerprints of Martinu that we've come to love and (I admit it) crave. Bravo once again to Naxos on price and extending the repertoire.