Bohuslav Martinu: Complete Piano Music Vol. 2 (Naxos Audio CD)

Giorgio Koukl (piano)

Although they number approximately eighty out of a total of over four hundred works, Martinû’s compositions for solo piano have long been overshadowed by his orchestral and chamber music.

This second release in the Naxos complete Martinû piano music edition features three sets of Puppets, written between 1912 and 1924.

These and his Film en miniature of 1925 reflect Martinû’s fascination with popular culture.

Delicate and sentimental, The Fifth Day of the Fifth Moon is dedicated to Hsien-Ming Lee Tcherepnin, the Chinese-born pianist and wife of the composer, while Les bouquinistes, which recalls Poulenc, is dedicated to the composer’s own wife, Charlotte.

The two sets of ‘Garden Cycles’ from 1920 predate the composer’s move to Paris.