Martinu: Double Concertos – Lawrence Foster

   in Classical Music (Jun, 2018)
Sisters Deborah and Sarah Nemtanu perform Martin?’s double concerto in stunning recorded sound. Many of Martin?’s themes have their roots in folk dance, and there is an infectious zest to these performances. The second movement explores more mysterious areas, but encompasses real joy towards the end.

The beautiful Rhapsody-Concerto comes against strong competition in the form of Suk and Rysanov. Here, Demesse’s viola sings its cantabile tenderly in this autumnal piece; the orchestral strings are beautifully recorded.

Continuing the theme of siblings, another pair of sisters performs the wartime two-piano concerto, taking us to another world. This is a superb performance, the pianists’ articulation in the toccata-like first movement a joy, …