Martinu: String Quartets No. 3 and 6; Duo for Violin and Cello;
'Madrigals' for Violin and Viola

Martinu Quartet
Naxos 8.553783

**** (Four Stars)
Summary: Nearly all top-drawer Martinu

Martinu, like Milhaud, is often charged with having produced a very
uneven oeuvre, the outgrowth of writing too much music too quickly and
with too little self-criticism. That is probably true. But this disc of
Martinu string music (two quartets, two duos - one for violin and cello,
one for violin and viola) is very nearly all top-drawer Martinu. In my
opinion, the one exception is the Duo for Violin and Cello which, although
given a sterling performance here, is rather grey music that doesn't
often come to life.

The best-known pieces here are the 'Madrigals' for violin and viola,
written for siblings Joseph and Lillian Fuchs whom I had the pleasure
of hearing play them many years ago. This present recording certainly
can hold its own. The heart of the collection is the lyrical, slightly
wistful middle movement; particularly effective are the intertwined
arpeggios that have the two instruments chasing each other before the
movement ends in utterly still serenity. The two lively outer movements,
rhythmically energetic, are played with infectious elan.

The first of the two quartets, No. 3, was written during Martinu's lengthy
sojourn in Paris, and it reflects this in some impressionistic harmonies.
But make no mistake, Martinu was already at this time (1929) moving
towards his more angular style that later emerged when he began focusing
more on tunes and harmonies of his native Czechoslovakia. Indeed, in the
Quartet No. 6 Martinu's birthplace comes calling, although tinged somewhat
by some Bartokian harmonic devices. In the final movement, particularly
effective are the long melodies given primarily to the viola and cello
while accompanied by violin arpeggios--luscious writing lusciously played.

The Martinu String Quartet, not surprisingly, has specialized in the
quartets of Martinu and have, in fact, recorded some if not all of them
before. They obviously have lived with these pieces for a long time and
yet their playing does not suffer from routine.

The quality of the recorded sound is excellent, as one comes to expect
from Naxos recordings. I've given the release only four stars, perhaps
unfairly, because of the slight falling off of quality in the writing
of the Duos.  Nonetheless, the 'Madrigals' alone make this disc worth
buying if you don't already have a recording of them; trust me, they are
wonderful pieces.

Scott Morrison