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SACD Review

Bohuslav Martinů

• Rhapsody-Concerto for Viola & Orchestra
• Three Madrigals (Duo #1) for Viola & Violin
• Duo #2 for Viola & Violin
• Sonata for Viola & Piano

Maxim Rysanov, viola
Alexander Sitkovetsky, violin
Katya Apekisheva, piano
BBC Symphony Orchestra/Jiří Bělohlávek
BIS SACD-2030 68:00 Hybrid Multichannel

All of the pieces in this very welcome disc from BIS were written in the United States during the later stages of Martinů's career – the first three during Martinů's long period of exile (1941-1953) and the fourth during a seven month stay in New York in 1955-6. Martinů had started out as a violinist and his empathy for the violin appears to have carried over the viola. These four pieces, wonderfully played by Maxim Rysanov on a Guadignini viola from 1780, do great justice both to Martinů's inventiveness as a composer and to the distinctive sound of the viola, surely the most undeservedly neglected instrument in the orchestra.

The viola's distinctive texture and depth of sound comes across particularly clear in the two Duos for viola and violin – an unusual pairing for which the repertoire is rather thin. The first, confusingly titled Three Madrigals, is relatively well known. In the middle of its three movements Rysanov displays the viola's rich sound to excellent effect, interwoven very lyrically with Sitkovetsky's violin. The second Duo is also very appealing, as is the two-movement Sonata for Viola and Piano.

The Rhapsody-Concerto is striking and definitely one of the high points of the concertante viola repertoire, along with Berlioz's Harold in Italy and Walton's Viola Concerto. It is unusually constructed. The second of its two movements has four distinct sections, the second of which is a cadenza for the soloist. Within this structure Martinů combines deep lyricism, harmonic innovation, and lengthy stretches of counterpoint with a distinctly baroque feel – all brought out very ably by the BBC Symphony under the Czech Jiří Bělohlávek who at the time was still the Principal Conductor before moving in 2012 to the Czech Philharmonic.

The playing from all participants is of an extremely high standard and BIS's production values on this disc are very high. I listened in both CD and SACD and was favorably impressed by the sound quality. The disc also offers the option of 5.0 surround sound. The liner notes are excellent. Highly recommended.

Copyright © 2015, José Luis Bermúdez