Dvořák & Martinů : Piano Concertos

Album review

Bohuslav Martinů wrote his Piano Concerto No. 4, “Incantation", in New York in the twilight of his life, when it was evident that he would never return to his homeland. The soloist featured on the new album, Ivo Kahánek, expressed his high opinion and affection for the work: “I personally consider Incantation to be one of the finest works of Martinů’s and one of the best pieces of Czech music in general, as well as one of the most singular compositions for piano and orchestra of the second half of the 20th century. All the facets, from motoric rhythmicity, through passion and tragedy, to dreamy surrealism, form together a truly breath-taking whole.” The selection of the soloist for the recording was by no means random. Kahánek has played the Incantation at prominent concert halls all over the world.
The performance of the piece in Bamberg, captured on the present album, which will be launched within the Dvořák Prague festival on Monday 9 September 2019, has been lauded by the critics as revelatory. The studio recording of Antonín Dvořák’s Piano Concerto ranks among the most forcible returns to the composer’s original version of the work, forbearing the “effective and virtuoso improvements” carried out by its later arrangers. It showcases the tender and melodious music of Dvořák, who always strove to emphasise profound expression, giving it preference to instrumental impression. As Jakub Hrůša put it: “The concerto possesses immense power and beauty, representing an interesting task for the conductor, an equal dialogue, with the orchestra and the conductor always having something to offer.”
The recordings were made in 2017 and 2019, in collaboration with a top-notch Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR Klassik) team, at the Joseph-Keilberth-Saal, the Bamberger Symphoniker’s home venue, whose acoustics are among the best in Europe. © Supraphon

Details of original recording : Recorded at Konzerthalle Bamberg, Joseph-Keilberth-Saal, 4 and 5 October 2017 (Dvořák) and live 17–19 January 2019 (Martinů)