This is the Dartington Ensemble's second record of little-known chamber music by Martinu. Like its predecessor (A66084, 1/84) it contains works of rather modest stature, at times so slight that I confess my attention began to wander. Admittedly the quality of the pieces is far from uniform, and it would seem that the selection has been made purely on the grounds that each work features the word 'madrigral' in its title. Precisely what Martinu intended this word to signify is far from clear; perhaps (as Kenneth Dommett suggests in his sleeve-note) it has something to do with independence of line in a genuinely contrapuntal texture, though this is hardly a consistent feature of the music. By something of a fluke, then, the suite of five pieces for violin and piano entitled 5 Madrigal Stanzas has found its way into this collection. This rather mindless work, saved only by the charm of its strong Czech accent, was written for the unlikely combination of Albert Robert Casadesus. It is self-evidently not music intended for public delectation.
Fortunately the other pieces have a stronger, spicier flavour. There is something refreshingly Stravinskian about the 4 Madrigals for wind trio, though again these are not pieces that I should wish to hear more than a few times. Slightly less caustic is the Madrigal Sonata for piano, flute and violin, one of the first works Martinu wrote during his years in America. Although the ideas here are strong enough in themselves, the flow of invention has far too little thrust to drive the music forward, and the result is insubstantial.
Of the four works it is in fact only the group of 3 Madrigals for violin and viola that does not overstay its welcome. On the contrary, these are magical pieces, crisply played in a sympathetically resonant acoustic. The opening Poco allegro alone would be sufficient to confirm the pure genius of Martinu's lyricism when it is at its best, and the ensuing Poco andante—a splendidly ethereal study in tremolando texture—provides excellent contrast before the final Scarlattian Allegro. Throughout the record the Dartington Ensemble plays with easy expertise and much spirit. Their pioneering work on Martinu's behalf is wholly commendable, and I'm only sorry that on this occasion they have stumbled upon works that are a little sub-standard.'