PRESTO CLASSICAL RECORDING OF THE WEEK

Great news from Presto Classical! The new release of Bohuslav Martinů's What Men Live By & Symphony No. 1 performed by the Czech Philharmonic and conducted by Jiří Bělohlávek is the Recording of the Week!

The first documented performances were apparently given with piano only, which seems rather a pity given the inventiveness of Martinů’s orches­tration, but this fine premiere recording showcases the score’s vivid colours in all their glory. As with his recording of Janáček’s Gla­golitic Mass which I reviewed recently, Bělohlávek gets the balance between solemn religiosity and rustic energy just right – witness the bucolic, whooping horns as day dawns on the frigid little workshop, or the pungent harmonica wielded by the cheeky apple-thief. The vocal soloists capture the speech-song quality which Martinů wanted to perfection rather than approaching the piece like scaled-down verismo (though the full-blooded lyricism which alto Ester Pavlů brings to the Old Woman’s little arietta is also a joy); that the English pronunciation (particularly from Ivan Kusnjer’s Martin) is idiosyncratic only adds to the overall atmosphere and charm.

Read the complete review:
https://www.prestomusic.com/…-men-live-by