Martinů : Double Concertos

Album review

Bohuslav Martinu took naturally to the double-concerto format, with its various possibilities for exchange between the soloists, and he wrote quite a few of them. There are various recordings of the works recorded here, with the aptly titled Rhapsody-Concerto for viola and orchestra probably the most popular of the three. But the grouping here, with established duos in the two double concertos, is unique. All three of the concertos date from Martinu's American period, with the Concerto for two pianos and orchestra the earliest one, from 1943. Naturally enough, this work is the edgiest, and it gets a high level of tension from pianists Mari and Momo Kodama. The other two works are richly lyrical within a neoclassic framework, an attractive combination. Sample the opening movement of the Concerto No. 2 for two violins and orchestra, H. 329, performed by the somewhat lesser-known Romanian-French sister duo of Sarah and Deborah Nemtanu, who add humor in unexpected places and have an apparent sibling rapport. The Orchestre Philharmonique de Marseille has a lively alertness to what the soloists are doing, and the end result is a strong recording of works by this composer whose recorded catalog is still rather sparse.

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