A masterpiece that hovers on the edge of the repertoire, the identity of the best recording of this extraordinary piece for harp, harpsichord, piano, and double string orchestra surely will surprise you.
Martin was a great figure in 20th century music. His Mass for double choir is one of the gems of choral music in the 20th century. A real masterpiece...
Martin is shamefully neglected, I can't understand why violinists don't play the splendid Violin Concerto and two of his late works , Polyptyque and his Requiem are works with great depth, the Requiem is one the finest 20C Requiems.
Many thanks for the tip. It was a great discovery for me. I got the Armin Jordan recording instead, to have an all-Martin programme, and don't regret it. Its Monologe aus Jedermann sounded very good too (if we ignore the text, whose cheeky rethoric is ok for a Bach's cantata, but hard to put up with in a XX century piece), and the Concerto for 7 instruments was good fun.
Martin is one of my favorite lesser-known composers. This work, the Violin Concerto, Polyptyque, Everyman Songs, all the short Ballades, 2 Piano Concertos....great stuff! -- I'm now listening to the Stokowski Petite Symphonie Concertante and yes it's terrifically and wonderfully recorded! 😎
Hi Dave. Thanks for all your videos. You’re keeping me broke! I downloaded the Martin with the Philharmonia Players. Beautifully played, great sound and perfect harpsichord balance. It’s coupled with the concerto for percussion, timps and strings, a delightful work. After 40 years working in music, Martin’s a discovery for me. User friendly Stravinsky Neo Classicism, I feel, and there’s no shame in that.
Wow! What a marvelous work. I just listened to the Stokowski recording and loved it. The piano-harpsichord sonority is quite something; who knew. Well, on to listen to more Martin. By the way, I love Stokowski - I've never been bored listening to his recordings; doesn't mean I like everything he does, to be sure. Thanks so much for the recommendation!
The final movement really benefits from that brisk tempo, doesn't it? Martin is fantastic - every year I go back to his music and explore more of it, and always it increases my love and respect for it. The ballade for viola, harpsichord and wind instruments is such an extraordinary piece. How he manages to get a combination of timbres like that to work (and to what degree it's the result of clever microphone placing) I don't know, but it's a gem.
Hey David, Inge always liked this work. Even when I first met her and she was barely 18. The Stokowski is so good that it even sounds great coming over RU-vid.
I must confess, I'm late to the music of Frank Martin. I've listened only recently to the complete set of Ballades. Having heard his beautiful Mass for double choir years ago, I should have known better. Shame on me! I will acquire the series on Chandos and then other things as well (including some chamber and choral works).
