Martinu: Works For Cello And Piano

Album review

Bohuslav Martinu composed for the cello throughout his career in forms ranging from sonatas to concertos to chamber music to variation sets. Despite the heavy influences of polyrhythm and unique harmonic language, Martinu's works are almost universally accessible to listeners across the board. This makes it all the more surprising that his compositions, the cello sonatas in particular, are not seen programmed more frequently on the recital stage or album cover. Although there are relatively few recordings of the complete sonatas, those that do exist are often of especially high quality. This Alto album, featuring cellist Karine Georgian and pianist Ian Munro, falls into this category. Throughout the sonatas, the roles of rhythm and melody seem to be constantly vying for dominance; for Georgian and Munro, melody is the facet that the duo has chosen to focus on. Georgian's intense, powerful tone shapes every phrase and musical gesture into a cohesive line, using generous but acceptable amounts of rubato. Her musical understanding of Martinu's music is most evident in the sonorous Variations on a Slovak Folk Song, one of the final compositions Martinu was to complete. This concentration on melody does at times create a softer, less driven rhythmic sense. For listeners who prefer the more angular, Bohemian interpretation of these works, the recording made by Starker and Firkusný cannot be improved upon.
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