Search - Ivan Kusnjer, Bohuslav Martinu, Stanislav Bogunia :: Martinu: The Opening of the Wells, H354; The Legend of the Smoke From Potato Fires, H360; Mikes of the Mountains, H375

Perfection

Matthew Wallis | Iowa City | 10/26/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It is possible that there exists no finer recording than this of any music anywhere. That statement, of course, will immediately disqualify me in the eyes of many from the ability to write an objective review.



These 3 late pieces are settings of modern folk-like poetry; a hommage to the changing seasons in the rural part of Czechoslvakia from which Martinu originally came. The poet, a younger contemporary, was from the same region - the Czech-Moravian Highlands - but, unlike the exile Martinu, he still lived there. The collaboration is extraordinarily complex.



The poetry is of a high standard, sentimental without being remotely mawkish, and drily satirical. Martinu had already displayed his considerable gifts in the setting of words. Part of my heresy stems from the fact that I believe him to be among the very best (if not THE best) exponents of word-setting. The combination of words and music here, coupled with the poignancy of his writing from abroad (and never seeing this beloved country again), lifts these odd cantatas to a remarkably high expressive level. Talich wept. So did I (and I am not even Czech, let alone a native of Vysocina).



The orchestrations are idiosyncratic. Opening of the Wells ("spring"), and Mikes of the Mountains ("winter") call for 3/4 of a string quartet (in this case, the Talich qt), plus piano. Ivan Kusnjer is the silken baritone (I place his voice highest in the pantheon too, so I am a genuinely lost cause). Legend of Smoke from the Potato fires ("autumn"), however, opts for winds - the cult jazz flautist/Telemann worshipper, Jiri Stivin, plays recorder. This variety of unusual orchestration recalls Janacek of cappriccio, concertino and rikadla (Nursery rhymes) - other pieces steeped in the autumnal conservatism and springlike inventiveness of the Czech-Moravian countryside.



Each of these 3 cantatas is about 20 minutes long; they fit comfortably onto 1 CD. Missing is the "summer" cantata (romance of the dandelions), which creeps onto the end of the double CD of the children's ballet Spalicek. As I did not own that recording until some years later, I am still less familiar with that piece. However, although it is clearly part of the cycle, it boasts a less compelling orchestration, and seems to me to be less memorable. So, while it is mildly unfortunate not to have a unified set of all 4 "seasons", the music on this disc is not diluted by its inclusion.



There is a certain Czechness, or perhaps Czech-Moravian-ness, in this music, which is true of much of Martinu's outpout though not exclusively so. However, unlike the orchestral and chamber pieces, and the jazzy works from Paris, these really DO seem site specific. Thus is may be that their considerable beauties will pass some listeners by. Also, while undeniably odd, they are neverthelss tonal music from the 50s, and that alone can affect some people in a funny way. They will not be for everyone; perhaps not even for fans of the symphonies or operas. Those who find they do like them, however, may possibly end up thinking as highly of them as I do. They are gems, and my life and all western music would be immeasurably poorer without them."