Jos Janssen:

>This afternoon we also had the concert for seven winds, timpani
>and strings by that sadly underrated composer Frank Martin.  Is
>there anybody on the list who has an opinion on him?

No doubt I'm not the only one on the List, along with Steve, to think
highly of him.  I discuss my liking of most of his orchestral music
in a review on Music on the Web:

   http://www.musicweb.uk.net/classrev/2001/Aug01/MartinPolyptyque.htm

There are many good versions of the concerto you mention; I'm partial
to the one with Richard Kapp conducting the Philharmonia Virtuosi (Essay
Recordings CD 1014), where the sound is crisp and the harpsichord's
not left to tinkle away in the background.  Chandos has released a fine
series of his orchestral works under Mathias Bamert, who I find a touch
over-polished only occasionally.  Mind you, I wouldn't be without his
CD of all the instrumental Ballades, among others in that series.

There are at least two CDs with versions of his PCs, with the ASV having
the advantage of a rediscovered early concertino for 2 pianos ("Danse
de la peur").  The Claves (508509) recording, however, has the wildest
version of his Ballade for Piano and Orchestra, to my ears.  Another
favourite is his Concerto for Cello (cello & piano, it often sounds
like), with Haitink conducting the Concertgebouw, Jean Decroos on cello:
a winning fusion of jazz and CM.  That CD (Preludio PRL 2147) also
includes Martin's 'The Four Elements,' so it's a desert island CD to me,
though it contains under 45 minutes of music.

I prefer it to Ansermet's conducting of the concerto (on Cascavelle),
with Pierre Fournier on cello.  But Ansermet conducting the Suisse Romande
Orch on a London-Decca double is essential for the VC and several other
first-rate Martin works.  The oratorio 'In Terra Pax' on that double CD
does grab my attention, though I hasten to add that my exposure to
oratorios is slender.  Then again, I'm usually left 'ungrabbed.'

To my knowledge, Martin's own recordings of his music are all nla.  I
have his version of the delightful Concerto for Harpsichord, with two
ballades (for trombone and for piano; on Jecklin-Disco JD 529-2), and
await re-releases of the other recordings: a Requiem, for one.  To my
knowledge, there's no other version of his Harpsichord Concerto, although
Naxos has had one 'in the can' for some time.  Hopefully they'll release
it with some other 20th century concertante works for harpsichord.

A most rewarding composer.

Bert Bailey