Concerto da Camera / Rhapsody-Concerto

The two concertos contained in this volume represent two different stylistic periods within Martinu's work. The "Concerto da Camera" (1941) is the last of his works inspired by the Baroque concerto grosso. The "Rhapsody-Concerto", composed eleven years later (1952), was the first work of his so-called "fantasia period", marked by a more open sense of form and an expansion of tonality. The edition of the "Concerto da Camera" shows, for the first time, the extent of Martinu's modifications to the work since its composition and publication, particularly to the solo violin part. The edition of the "Rhapsody-Concerto" takes into account previously unknown contemporary performance materials which have recently been discovered.

This volume of the Bohuslav Martinu Complete Edition (BMCE) is based on a wealth of text and music sources, in particular autographs and contemporary copies that were recognized by the composer and early performers of the works, as well as some first editions produced under the supervision of Martinu.