I’m in the late stages of learning the Martinu Rhapsody-Concerto for a performance at the Sunriver Music Festival (on the east slopes of the Central Oregon Cascades) in Sunriver, Oregon. I very much love the sound world of the piece, it’s much like if Aaron Copland were Czech! There is the homesick quality that one gets from a piece written by a composer in exile from his homeland (he lived in exile in the United States from 1941 to 1953) and there is just enough fast passage work to challenge the fingers. However, I just am not satisfied with my ability to get the piece to hang together logically. Especially problematic is the ending – a long, sustained low F with very little happening in the orchestra. It may be that I’ve only run it with a piano so far, but I’m left cold and cannot seem to set up the ending properly. The problem with having only one performance to do a piece is that you can’t really shake it down properly beforehand with the orchestra in a performance setting. The rehearsals definitely help, but I wish I had a subscription series of three performances to get the thing to settle for me. Ah, well – beggars definitely cannot be choosers! Meanwhile, back to the lab for more woodshedding…
Bohuslav Martinu: Rhapsody-concerto for Viola and Orchestra
Completed New York City, 1952.
Premiered February 19, 1953 by Jascha Weissi, Principal violist of the Cleveland Orchestra, with the Cleveland Orchestra under the direction of George Szell.
Published by Bärenreiter (4316).
4 replies on “interpretive dilemma…”
I agree with your characterisation and estimate of the quality of Martinu’s Rhapsody. I recently listened to fifteen recorded performances for an article – some wonderful performances included. But I should correct a factual point in your articel. The original soloists, Jascha Weissi, was never principal viola at Cleveland. He had been in the violin section of Cleveland in the 1920s many year earlier, and later played viola in another orchestra, San Francisco I think. By the time he gave the premiere of Martinu’s work he was a freelance viola soloist. Martinu had known him in Europe and especially enjoyed the quality of his tone.
Third try to post – the window suddenly disappeared as I was writing second time! Interesting posting about Martinu Viola Rhapsody – a wonderful piece of which I listened to fifteen recordings recently for an article. The characterisation in the posting strikes me as just right. I hope the writer of the posting gets many more chances to perform it. One factual point – Jascha Weissi was not Principal Viola of the Cleveland Orchestra though many years earlier in the 1920s he had been in the violin section there. He was later viola in another orchestra, San Francisco I think. At the time of the premiere he was a freelance violist. Martinu had known him in Europe and especially admired his tone.
I’ve played the piece many times and it is a particular favourite of mine. This is one piece however where I find it positively unhelpful to play it with piano. Martinu’s gorgreous orchestral textures and quasi bitonal harmonies sound awful when transferred to the piano.
The ending: if you have found the right spacious sound and tempo for the return of the wonderful Coplandesque theme, then just trust it. The sustaining of the soft chords with the uneasy sound of the muffled drum really will work.
Make sure you are playing from the most recent print of the solo part. Copies more than about 3 years old have many serious misprints. The score and parts still have many. I am in the process of creating a new score for the complete Martinu edition so please get in touch if you want to check any notes.
Best wishes
Paul Silverthorne
http://www.paulsilverthorne.com
mail@paulsilverthorne.com
Hi Paul,
Thanks for taking the time to post here, and your presence is quite an honor! I have two questions about notes, I’ll send them to you directly and hopefully I can check my email for a reply before rehearsals begin (8 August). Thanks again for your help! – Charles