If you are not familiar with the six Symphonies of Bohuslav Martinu, this is probably the place to start, with the dark and brooding Third, and the sunny Fourth, a work which spills over with a simple and pure lust for life, infectious joy! If the closing pages don't get you dancing, inside at least, then I suggest you are missing something!
I do believe there are few, if any, conductors who know Martinu like Belohlavek, and these two performances are intense, beautifully played, and comparable with the best. The Czech Philharmonic may have this music in their blood, but their playing is out of this world here.
But so it was with Belohlavek's recording for Chandos of the Fourth, and I prefer that earlier version, for one reason only, and that is the sound quality. I suspect part of the problem comes from the recording venue (Prague's Rudolfinum), but there have been dozens of recordings made there where detail is not lost and where loud passages don't come close to greyness. Or is it just my rubbishy hi-fi? (No it isn't!)Part of the problem is also the composer himself - he was sometimes prone to over-scoring, but other CDs do allow the orchestral detail to breathe more, even Neumann's under-rated set from the same label (and same recording venue!)
Martinu was a fine composer and a natural symphonist, and there are few finer examples of the 20th century Symphony than his cycle of six. You will not hear better performances than these; you will hear better recordings!
