First the music: there are two wonderful pieces here and one dud. Martinu’s Concerto No. 1 easily is the finest of the two he wrote, a lively and immensely appealing work that deserves to be far better known. The Novák (composed in 1958) also is delightful, jazzy, and full of the sort of wry humor that somehow seems specifically Czech. The dud is the Foerster, a late work (1931) by a composer who lived practically forever (1859-1951). Its three movements are all slowish (even the final Allegro moderato), and the opening Andante sostenuto e funeste sounds boring and unmotivated. Happily, it’s only 20 minutes long.
Jirí Bárta is a fine cellist and he plays all three works with complete confidence. If I find him more committed in the Martinu and Novák pieces, it may be because they are simply more interesting to begin with. The accompaniments under Jakub Hrusa are well-judged and responsive to the soloist. Unfortunately, Bárta is recorded much too closely, which makes his breathing and gasping a counterpoint to the music itself. This happens all the time these days, and it’s really inexcusable. If the repertoire interests you, then I can recommend this disc with the reservations noted. [7/7/2009]
