Martinů, Bohuslav

Bohuslav Martinů
(b. Polička/Eastern Bohemia [Austria-Hungary], 8 December 1890 – d. Liestal [Switzerland], 28 August 1959)

The Rock
Prélude symphonique pour orchestre (1957)

As the superior Czech composer of his generation Bohuslav Martinů has mainly enriched the genres of orchestral music, chamber music, and opera with his numerous contributions. Today he is celebrated worldwide as the last Czech composer of international standing for the time being. His symphonies and several other orchestral works continuously conquer their solid position in the international repertoire. From 1942 to 1953, his six symphonies emerged after his emigration into the US-American exile. The compositions for large orchestra he wrote after these are no less important: the ’Fresques de Piero della Francesca’ that were composed in Nice from February to April 1955; the symphonic prelude ’The Rock’ that was written in Rome from February to April 1957; the ’Parables’ for Charles Munch from 1957-58; and his tender swan song ’Estampes’ from March/April 1958.
Martinů began the composition of ’The Rock’ on 12 February 1955 and finished the short score on 28 March. The fair copy of the full score was, as his wife reported, ”almost ready” on 17 April. ’The Rock’ was commissioned by the Cleveland Orchestra on the occasion of its 40th anniversary and should last for some 12 minutes. It is a kind of symphonic poem that was inspired by the report of the first English governor William Bradford (1590-1657) about the landing of the first pioneers in New England in 1619. Harry Halbreich (1931-2016), the leading Martinů biographer, called it accurately ”a typical ’phantasy’ for orchestra”. The work ends in a hymnic atmosphere that makes Martinů’s Czech roots shine through. Stylistically ’The Rock’ anticipates the sound world of Martinů’s late symphonic magnum opus, the ’Parables’ that were written soon after. Full score and parts were released in print by Universal Edition, Vienna, in 1957. ’The Rock’ is dedicated to chief conductor George Szell (1897-1970) and his Cleveland Orchestra and was premièred by its dedicatees in Cleveland on 17 April 1958.

Christoph Schlüren, April 2018

Performance material is available from the publisher Universal Edition, Vienna (www.universaledition.com). Reprint by kind permission of the publisher Universal Edition, 2018.