Magic Nights. Three songs to Chinese texts for Soprano and Orchestra, H. 119

In a Foreign Land (Adagio)


  • Recorded: 4th September 1988
  • Record Place: The Dvořák Hall of Rudolfinum, Prague
  • First Release: 1991
  • (P) 1991 SUPRAPHON
  • Genre: Vocal

Artists

  • music by: Bohuslav Martinů
  • original lyrics by: Li Daibo
  • translation: Hans Bethge
  • soprano: Lubica Rybarska
  • conductor: Jiří Bělohlávek
  • musical group: Prague Symphony Orchestra

Album

Prague Symphony Orchestra, Jiří Bělohlávek

Martinů: Nipponari, Magic Nights, Czech Rhapsody

Catalogue Number: SU 3956-2
Published: 29th August 2008
Genre: Vocal
All three of these compositions open the imaginative world of the young Martinů to the listener, providing a glimpse into his early works for voice and orchestra. Nipponari and Magic Nights were both inspired by exotic texts. The works of Japanese poets used in Nipponari are infused with a wistful, dreamy mood which is masterfully captured by Martinů's unusual instrumentation and subtle compositional technique. For his Impressionistic Magic Nights he instinctively chose texts about sorrow in a distant land far from home, unaware that this theme would play a fateful role in his own life. Mahler, incidentally, drew on the same collection of poems for his song cycle Das Lied von der Erde. The general nationalistic fervor of 1918 and the thought of national independence are reflected in the Czech Rhapsody - released here for the first time on CD - particularly in his use of the Hymn "Saint Wenceslas" (patron saint of the Czech nation), and the premiere of this work was a tremendous success forMartinů. It is difficult to imagine a more competent and sensitive interpretation of these works than you will find in these time-tested recordings by conductor Jiří Bělohlávek and outstanding soloists.
Bohuslav Martinů
Nipponari. Seven songs to japanese lyrical poetry for female voice and small orchestra, H. 68
1. The Blue Hour (Andante) 02:03
2. Old Age (Andante) 04:32
3. A Memory (Andantino) 02:11
4. Life in Dreams (Andantino) 03:14
5. Footsteps in the Snow (Moderato) 02:46
6. A Look Back (Largo religioso) 04:06
7. By the Sacred Lake (Grave) 02:16
Bohuslav Martinů
Magic Nights. Three songs to Chinese texts for Soprano and Orchestra, H. 119
8. In a Foreign Land (Adagio) 04:54
9. Untouched by Spring (Adagio lugubre) 04:36
10. The Mysterious Flute (Andante sostenuto) 05:41
Bohuslav Martinů
11. Czech Rhapsody. Cantata for Baritone, Mixed Chorus, Orchestra and Organ, H. 118 36:11