Tag: Czech Music

Neoclassicism in music was a reaction against what was perceived as the garish effusiveness and gooey excess of late Romanticism. It was marked by the lucid working out of forms and processes of the 18th century, though viewed through a distinctly 20th century prism. Igor Stravinsky was arguably its greatest proponent, and he cast an enormous shadow that fell across the musical capitals of Europe.

This Sunday night on “The Lost Chord,” we’ll have cheery examples of Czech neoclassicism, with works by Ilja Hurnik (his “Sonata da Camera”), Iša Krejči (his “Serenade for Orchestra,” conducted by Karel Ančerl) and Bohuslav Martinu (his Concerto for Two Violins and Orchestra).

These composers — well, Krejči and Martinu, anyway — manage to balance the clarity of the Enlightenment with an unmistakably Czech national sound. It’s baffling to me, in particular, that Martinu could remain the Sleeping Giant of 20th Century Music. The man was a Master.

Hurnik’s work is perhaps the purest, in terms of looking back. The term “Sonata da Camera” recalls music of the baroque and classical eras, as does the clarity of its instrumentation, involving flute, oboe, cello and harpsichord. Each movement begins as if it had been ripped from the pages of history and then gradually gets squeezed like a lemon, leaving a tangy, contemporary aftertaste.

All of the music is designed to lift your spirits. I hope you’ll join me for “Balanced Czechs,” this Sunday night at 10 ET, with a repeat Wednesday evening at 6; or that you’ll listen to it later as a webcast at wwfm.org.

PHOTO: Czech it out!