Martinu maven, RIP

Martinu maven, RIP

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norman lebrecht

April 19, 2020

The leading Martinu scholar, František Popelka, has died at 88.

His father had been the composer’s close friend and he founded the Martinu museum at Policka.

 

 

Comments

  • Mustafa Kandan says:
    April 19, 2020 at 10:28 am

    At a time when much lesser composers are undergoing revival, such as that eccentric Rued Langgaard, Martinu is still largely neglected. i personally cannot understand it.

    Reply
  • Ruben Greenberg says:
    April 19, 2020 at 3:41 pm

    Rest in Peace. Some day people will realise what an important composer Martinu was/is. His last symphonies have such breath: are so inspired. And there’s so much fine chamber music for all sorts of instruments. His music is a joy to play and a joy to listen to.

    Reply
  • martin u says:
    April 20, 2020 at 12:28 pm

    One of the joys to come my way during this period of lockdown is the opportunity to really get under the skin of Martinu’s music – so far the symphonies and string quartets

    Reply
  • MezzoLover says:
    April 21, 2020 at 4:52 am

    His operas – all 14 of them – also deserve to be better known. My personal favorite is the early (1937-8) Julietta, a surrealistic dream play that (along with his final opera The Greek Passion) is widely considered Martinů’s masterpiece.

    You can find a complete recording of this opera, conducted by Jaroslav Krombholc, on YouTube. But I would strongly recommend getting the original Supraphon CDs, as you really need the libretto to fully appreciate the brilliance of this amazing opera – unless, of course, you are a Czech-speaker.

    Reply

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