BOHUSLAV MARTINU: Complete Symphonies – Jiř� Bělohl�vek, BBC Symphony – FLAC

EAC-FLAC link below. This is my own rip.
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Recorded live at the Barbican in London, these recordings represent the first complete CD
cycle of Bohuslav Martinů�s symphonies conducted by Jir� Belohl�vek (there
were two previous, aborted cycles, on Supraphon and on Chandos). The critically acclaimed
concerts were given to mark the 50th anniversary of Martinů�s death in 2009. His six
symphonies are a major contribution to 20th-century symphonic literature, and yet are
still undervalued. Spanning the years during and after the Second World War, they
capture the turmoil, hopes and fears of the composer and his homeland.

This is my favorite Martinů cycle, together with Bryden Thomson’s on Chandos.

Music Composed by
Bohuslav Martinů

Played by the
BBC Symphony Orchestra

Conducted by
Jiř� Bělohl�vek

"When considering Martinu�s symphonies, two points are worth bearing in mind: first,
that all six date from Martinu�s maturity; and second, the first five followed each other
year on year. Play them back to back and the inevitable risk is that they may all begin
to sound too much alike, but such is Jir� Belohl�vek�s skill as a Martinu interpreter that
the effect is still of impressive stylistic variety. Brlohl�vek usefully offers thumbnail
descriptions of all six works, calling the First, �epic, tragic and energetic�, the Second
�lyric, poetic and vivid�, the Third �dramatic and Bohemian�, the Fourth �impressionistic,
cosmopolitan, colourful and joyful�, the Fifth �visionary�, and the Sixth a �song of
longing and hope�.

These are not Belohl�vek�s first Martinu symphony recordings but I would assert that
they are his best. The others I know of are mostly with the Czech Philharmonic, Nos 1
and 4 from the early �90s (Chandos), plus a much earlier, bright-and-bushy-tailed
Fourth with the Prague Symphony (Panton, 1979) � all good performances, but which
lack the weight and muscle of these live BBC remakes. And there are the Supraphon
recordings from 2003‑09 of Symphonies Nos 3‑6 which score highest where clarity
is most needed, in the finale of the Third, for example, and the opening of the
Sixth (the spacious acoustic of the Dvor�k Hall of the Rudolfinum helps).

Perhaps the most significant interpretative difference between the Chandos and
Onyx versions of the First Symphony is in the profound Largo (one of the great
Martinu slow movements), where the later version is broader than its predecessor
by more than a minute, though the contrast is less to do with tempo than with
the darkened mood and texture. It�s interesting that Martinu himself considered
the Third to be �actually� his first symphony, having had Beethoven�s Eroica in
mind when he wrote it. �It is a work of revolt,� he once claimed, �of manly
defiance, of grim yet firm determination, challenging fate.� Karel �ejna�s
premiere recording (Czech PO) has an even firmer grip than Belohl�vek�s
but this new live version is surely the best we�ve had in years. It�s interesting
that both of Belohl�vek�s recordings are unique in restoring 30 bars of
previously cut material (part of the build-up towards the first movement�s
anguished central climax), and there also differences in the Fourth. Both
symphonies are played from revised editions. I should however make special
mention of Vladimir V�lek�s largely undervalued Supraphon set with the
Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra where, although some tempi are slower
than normal, a degree of transparency compensates, especially at the
start of the Sixth, where the jittery muted trumpet line rises above the
swarming accompaniment without disregarding Martinu�s piano marking.
V�lek is again impressive in the Fifth, almost as dogged as An∂erl in the
finale but capturing the buoyant rhythm (echoes of Beethoven�s Seventh
this time) more vividly than most. Belohl�vek is faster, which leads to a
slight sense of rhythmic ambiguity near the start of the Allegro, but thereafter
things go swimmingly and the performance, like the others in the set, is full of
fire and interpretative interest."
Gramophone

Download Link – https://mega.co.nz/#!KZx1XJrB!OiO8ZfB8_yug1-SoFv5KhzxXol0zpZ9Rnu1kFA3jE1w

Source: Onyx Classics, 2009 (my rip!)
Format: FLAC(RAR), DDD Stereo, Level: -5
File Size: 754 MB (incl. cover & booklet)

Enjoy! Don’t share! Buy the origina! Please leave a "Like" or "Thank you" if you enjoyed this! 🙂

A very underrated, and undeservedly lesser known, composer. Thanks!

thanks wimpel69

Yes, one of the best conductor for Martinu in my opinion.

Thanks so much!

The Bryden Thompson reading of this symphony cycle is my family’s unofficial Christmas disc, something so sincerely cheerful about Martinu symphonies, even in the darker hours, like the light is seconds away from bursting back in, and the orchestration just seems to breathe the bright beaming nature of the season, so kudos, couldn’t have picked a better time!

Thanks.

Thank you!