Album
Daniel Matejča, Jan Schulmeister
Suk, Martinů, Fišer: Works for Violin and Piano
Catalogue Number: SU 4361-2
Published: 20th June 2025
First release: SUPRAPHON 2025
Genre: Chamber Music
Format: 1 CD
This album has received following awards:
- Album of the Week, Europadisc (2025)
Josef Suk (1874-1935) – Four Pieces for Violin and Piano, Op. 17 (1900). Bohuslav Martinů (1890-1959) – Czech Rhapsody for Violin and Piano, H. 307 (1945), Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano, H. 182 (1929). Luboš Fišer (1935-1999) – The Hands. Sonata for Violin and Piano (1961)
Daniel Matejča – violin, Jan Schulmeister – piano
The Supraphon debut of 18-year-old Daniel Matejča (Ysaÿe – Violin Sonatas, 2023) has attracted great attention with critics around the world writing about his remarkable talent, comparing his recording with the very best. That same year, the 17-year-old pianist Jan Schulmeister came away from Texas with third prize at the prestigious Cliburn Junior Competition. And also that year, the Matejča – Schulmeister duo celebrated victory in the chamber music category at the competition Concertino Praga; that opened them the door to the studio for the making of this recording. Instead of brilliant, virtuosic show pieces, the young artists chose challenging Czech repertoire of the 20th century with pivotal works by Suk, Martinů, and Luboš Fišer. Martinů composed his Czech Rhapsody in the USA just after the end of the Second World War for Fritz Kreisler, who was 70 years old by then. Even today, this beautiful composition is a great technical challenge for the soloist. Martinů’s First Violin Sonata (1929) still belongs to the composer’s Paris period, as can be seen from jazz elements and the sometimes impressionistic mood of the piano part. The third composer, Luboš Fišer, is known mainly in his homeland, but his music also earned international awards (UNESCO prize, Prix d’Italia). His violin sonata The Hands was originally supposed to have been titled Crux, but that was completely unacceptable during the period of harsh communist rule. In the words of Ivan Štraus, who premiered the sonata, “…the composition could be interpreted as a loose depiction of the Stations of the Cross at Easter with dramatic moments of whipping, hatred, and anxiety followed by a funeral procession (pizzicato) and then the glorious Resurrection in the concluding apotheosis to the sound of bells.”
Suk, Martinů, and Fišer in the creative hands of young virtuosos
Daniel Matejča – violin, Jan Schulmeister – piano
The Supraphon debut of 18-year-old Daniel Matejča (Ysaÿe – Violin Sonatas, 2023) has attracted great attention with critics around the world writing about his remarkable talent, comparing his recording with the very best. That same year, the 17-year-old pianist Jan Schulmeister came away from Texas with third prize at the prestigious Cliburn Junior Competition. And also that year, the Matejča – Schulmeister duo celebrated victory in the chamber music category at the competition Concertino Praga; that opened them the door to the studio for the making of this recording. Instead of brilliant, virtuosic show pieces, the young artists chose challenging Czech repertoire of the 20th century with pivotal works by Suk, Martinů, and Luboš Fišer. Martinů composed his Czech Rhapsody in the USA just after the end of the Second World War for Fritz Kreisler, who was 70 years old by then. Even today, this beautiful composition is a great technical challenge for the soloist. Martinů’s First Violin Sonata (1929) still belongs to the composer’s Paris period, as can be seen from jazz elements and the sometimes impressionistic mood of the piano part. The third composer, Luboš Fišer, is known mainly in his homeland, but his music also earned international awards (UNESCO prize, Prix d’Italia). His violin sonata The Hands was originally supposed to have been titled Crux, but that was completely unacceptable during the period of harsh communist rule. In the words of Ivan Štraus, who premiered the sonata, “…the composition could be interpreted as a loose depiction of the Stations of the Cross at Easter with dramatic moments of whipping, hatred, and anxiety followed by a funeral procession (pizzicato) and then the glorious Resurrection in the concluding apotheosis to the sound of bells.”
Suk, Martinů, and Fišer in the creative hands of young virtuosos
Reviews
“…on this new disc you can hear their preternaturally intelligent musicality deployed in repertoire that is, for the most part, relatively little represented on record… Matejča rises splendidly to the music’s many dazzling technical challenges, but also imbues the more reflective passages with a depth and richness of tone that never tips over into the cloying… it is to be hoped that he and Schulmeister will return with more 20th-century Czech treasures soon, for this is one of the most satisfying, thoughtful and imaginatively realised recital discs we have heard this year.”
Europadisc, July 2025
“These artists give a rich yet clear rendition, with plenty of passion, intensity and a rhythmically punchy delivery, alternating with lean non-vibrato and pared-away introspection. There are moments where the music hints at softer Romanticism before returning to the charged invective, adeptly negotiated by this duo… Matejča and Schulmeister evoke a natural melodic line within these changing metres, yet allow the fervour to cool in more reflective moments, all delivered with brilliant virtuosity. Impressive.”
The Strad, August 2025
“When I last reviewed Fiser’s Sonata ‘The Hands’, over a decade ago, I called it a masterpiece… Matejča and Schulmeister’s performance is admirable… it’s a work you should hear and at only eleven minutes it will reward your interest. These young musicians have constructed a fine disc… which has been well recorded and annotated. It serves notice of yet another excellent pairing in the Czech firmament…”
MusicWeb International, August 2025
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Josef Suk
4 Pieces for Violin and Piano, Op. 17
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| 1. | I. Quasi balatta | 05:40 | |
| 2. | II. Appassionato | 04:15 | |
| 3. | III. Un poco triste | 03:41 | |
| 4. | IV. Burleska | 03:22 | |
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Bohuslav Martinů
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| 5. | Czech Rhapsody for Violin and Piano, H 307 | 09:45 | |
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Luboš Fišer
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| 6. | The Hands. Sonata for Violin and Piano | 11:11 | |
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Bohuslav Martinů
Violin Sonata No. 1, H 182
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| 7. | I. Introduction et allegro | 05:11 | |
| 8. | II. Andante | 07:40 | |
| 9. | III. Allegretto | 04:03 | |