Martinu/ Irnberger - Violin Concertos 1 & 2

Following up on his recordings of the Concerto for Violin, Piano and Orchestra by Bohuslav Martinu, internationally acclaimed violinist Thomas Albertus Irnberger presents both Violin Concertos of the Czech composer, who so often has to give room to the greater popularity of his compatriots Smetana, Dvorak and Janacek. Martinu's Violin Concerto No. 1 H 226 was written in 1931, during his almost 20 years lasting residence in Paris, France. In 1941, Martinu emigrated via Lissabon to the United States because of his detestation of fascism and war and the fear of political persecution, where he soon (1943) composed his Violin Concerto No. 2 H 293. Irnberger receives top-class accompaniment from the Janacek Philharmonic Ostrava, which, under the direction of Heiko Mathias Förster, knows how to translate the Czech gesture of these works into a melodious manner.