Hindemith advocated going back to Bach. But Martinu did
Hindemith one better: he advocated going back to Gesualdo. While it's true that Martinu turned out concerti grossi in the 1930s, he also turned out several collections of madrigals at different points in his career, two of which appear here on the wonderful disc by the
Netherlands Chamber Choir under the direction of
Stephen Layton. The eight Czech madrigals of 1939 tell the story of a hopeless love affair in the achingly expressive chromatic harmonic language of the Renaissance master. The Four Madrigals for Five Voices from 1959 take poems on both sacred and secular themes for works as expressively ardent but more harmonically austere than the earlier set. Not content with reviving the counterpoint of the Renaissance, Martinu went back to the parallel voices and homophony of the Middle Ages for his 1934 setting of Four Songs of Mary, and even further back to the robust rhythms and direct tunes of folk music for his 1957 settings of Five Brigand Songs for male chorus. And, finally, Martinu achieves a remarkable fusion of Czech folk tunes, modernist cluster harmonies and pre-historic humming choruses in his Romance of the Dandelions for chorus and soprano from 1957. Performed with a rich tone, an impeccable technique, and a muscular sense of rhythm by the Dutch choir and directed with strength, subtlety, and obvious affection by the English conductor, Martinu's a cappella choral music sounds appealing -- even enticing -- on this beautifully produced 2003 Globe disc.