The Symphony No. 5, H. 310, is an orchestral composition by the Czech composer

Bohuslav Martinů Bohuslav Jan Martinů (; December 8, 1890 – August 28, 1959) was a Czech composer of modern classical music. He wrote 6 symphonies, 15 operas, 14 ballet scores and a large body of orchestral, chamber, vocal and instrumental works. He bec ...

History

The Fifth Symphony was composed from March to May 1946. Although Martinů initially spoke of dedicating it to the

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, in the end the score was dedicated to the

Czech Philharmonic The Česká filharmonie (Czech Philharmonic) is a symphony orchestra based in Prague. The orchestra's principal concert venue is the Rudolfinum. History The name "Czech Philharmonic Orchestra" appeared for the first time in 1894, as the title ...

, perhaps in anticipation of a return to his native land. Although this repatriation did not come about, the Fifth nevertheless is the only one of Martinů’s symphonies to have been premiered by a Czech orchestra:

Rafael Kubelik Rafael may refer to: * Rafael (given name) or Raphael, a name of Hebrew origin * Rafael, California * Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Israeli manufacturer of weapons and military technology * Hurricane Rafael, a 2012 hurricane Fiction * Rafa ...

conducted the Czech Philharmonic in the first performance, at the

Prague Spring Festival The Prague Spring International Music Festival ( cs, Mezinárodní hudební festival Pražské jaro, commonly cs, Pražské jaro, Prague Spring) is a classical music festival held every year in Prague, Czech Republic, with symphony orchestras an ...

on 28 May 1947.

Instrumentation

The Fifth Symphony is scored for two flutes, piccolo, three oboes, three clarinets, three bassoons, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (cymbals, tam-tam, triangle, bass drum, side drum), piano, and strings.

Analysis

The symphony is in three movements: #Adagio—Allegro #Larghetto #Lento—Allegro The general plan of the symphony does not adhere to the traditional form. Instead, Martinů said, it has a "more modern, better structure". This involves the alternation of slow and fast sections in all of the movements, and the symphony's most distinctive feature is its enlivenment by rhythmic devices. Like the Sixth Symphony but unlike all the earlier ones, the first movement of the Fifth Symphony begins with a slow introduction that returns as a postlude at the end, creating a frame around the main structure. In this case, however, the adagio also is found in the middle of the movement as an interlude, where it is followed by a combination of recapitulation and new development. The finale closes with a long passage in the minor mode, unlike any of the other five Martinů symphonies.

Discography

The 1955

monaural Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction (often shortened to mono) is sound intended to be heard as if it were emanating from one position. This contrasts with stereophonic sound or ''stereo'', which uses two separate audio channels to reproduc ...

recording of the Fifth by

Karel Ančerl Karel Ančerl (11 April 1908 – 3 July 1973) was a Czechoslovak conductor and composer, renowned especially for his performances of contemporary music and for his interpretations of music by Czech composers. Ančerl was born into a prosper ...

was the first of Martinů's symphonies to be released commercially on LP. Ančerl recorded a

stereophonic Stereophonic sound, or more commonly stereo, is a method of sound reproduction that recreates a multi-directional, 3-dimensional audible perspective. This is usually achieved by using two independent audio channels through a configuration ...

version for Canadian radio in 1972 (also released on LP), and a new studio recording in

quadraphonic sound Quadraphonic (or quadrophonic and sometimes quadrasonic) sound – equivalent to what is now called 4.0 surround sound – uses four audio channels in which speakers are positioned at the four corners of a listening space. The system allows for th ...

in 1977 was conducted by Václav Neumann as part of a complete traversal of the six Martinů symphonies. * Bohuslav Martinů: Symphony No. 5.

, Karel Ančerl, cond. Recorded in Dvořák Hall, Prague, 21–23 March 1955. 10-inch LP, monaural. Supraphon DM 5599. Prague:

Supraphon Supraphon Music Publishing is a Czech record label, oriented mainly towards publishing classical music and popular music, with an emphasis on Czech and Slovak composers. History The Supraphon name was first registered as a trademark in 1932. T ...

, 1955. Reissued, 10-inch LP, Supraphon SUF 20035. Reissued in simulated stereo, 12-inch LP (with Martinů: ''Field Mass''), Everest SDBR 3329. Los Angeles: Everest Records. Symphony reissued on CD (with Martinů: ''

Memorial to Lidice A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or works of a ...

'', ''

Les Fresques de Piero della Francesca ''The Frescoes of Piero della Francesca'' (''Les Fresques de Piero della Francesca''), H. 352, is an orchestral work by Bohuslav Martinů. It pays homage to the cycle of frescoes ''The History of the True Cross'' by Piero della Francesca, whi ...

'', and ''The Parables''). Supraphon 11 1931-2. Prague: Supraphon, 1992. Symphony reissued again on CD (with Martinů: Symphony No. 6 and ''Memorial to Lidice'') on Karel Ančerl Gold Edition, vol. 34. Supraphon SU 3694-2. Prague: Supraphon, 2004. * Bohuslav Martinů: Symphony No. 5.

Ottorino Respighi Ottorino Respighi ( , , ; 9 July 187918 April 1936) was an Italian composer, violinist, teacher, and musicologist and one of the leading Italian composers of the early 20th century. List of compositions by Ottorino Respighi, His compositions r ...

: ''

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''.

Toronto Symphony Orchestra The Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) is a Canadian orchestra based in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in 1906, the TSO gave regular concerts at Massey Hall until 1982, and since then has performed at Roy Thomson Hall. The TSO also manages the Toronto ...

, Karel Ančerl, cond. (Martinů);

Kazuyoshi Akiyama is a Japanese conductor. Biography Born into a musical family, he studied piano at the Toho Gakuen School of Music, but was fascinated by the conducting activities of a fellow student, Seiji Ozawa. He decided to study conducting with Hideo S ...

, cond. (Respighi). Recorded November 1971 and January 1972,

Massey Hall Massey Hall is a performing arts theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Opened in 1894, it is known for its outstanding acoustics and was the long-time hall of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. An intimate theatre, it was originally designed to seat ...

, Toronto. LP recording, stereo. CBC Radio Canada SM 218. Toronto: CBC Radio Canada Broadcast Recordings, 1972. * Bohuslav Martinů: Symphony No. 3; Symphony No. 4; Symphony No. 5.

Václav Neumann Václav Neumann (29 October 1920 – 2 September 1995) was a Czech conductor, violinist, violist, and opera director. Life and career Neumann was born in Prague, where he studied at the Prague Conservatory with Josef Micka (violin), and Pav ...

, cond. 2-LP set, quadraphonic. Supraphon 1410 2771/2. Prague: Supraphon, 1979. Reissued on CD, Martinů: Symphony No. 5; ''Fantaisies symphoniques'' (Symphony No. 6). CD recording, stereo. Supraphon 111968. rague Supraphon, 1995. Reissued as part of ''Martinů Symphonies''. 3-CD set, stereo. Supraphon 110382. rague Supraphon, 1994. * Bohuslav Martinů: Symphonies Nos. 5 and 6.

Bamberg Symphony Orchestra The Bamberg Symphony (German: Bamberger Symphoniker – Bayerische Staatsphilharmonie) is a German orchestra based in Bamberg. It is one of the most prestigious orchestras in Germany. The orchestra was formed in 1946 mainly from German musicians e ...

Neeme Järvi Neeme Järvi (; born 7 June 1937) is an Estonian American conductor. Early life Järvi was born in Tallinn. He initially studied music there, and later in Leningrad at the Leningrad Conservatory under Yevgeny Mravinsky, and Nikolai Rabinovich, ...

, cond. CD recording, stereo. Recorded in the Dominikanerbau, Bamberg, Germany, March 1988. Bis 402.

weden Veden or Weden may refer to *Veden Manor in Norway *''Veden varaan'', a pop-rock album from the Finnish group PMMP * Sven Wedén (1913–1976), Swedish politician See also * List of hundreds of Sweden A hundred is a geographic division formerly ...

Bis Records, 1993. Reissued as part of ''Bohuslav Martinů: The Symphonies''. 3-CD set, stereo. Bis 1371/2.

Bis, 2003. Reissued, 3-CD set. Brilliant Classics 8950. .p. Brilliant Classics, 2008. * Bohuslav Martinů: Symphony No. 1; Symphony No. 5.

Scottish National Orchestra The Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) ( gd, Orcastra Nàiseanta Rìoghail na h-Alba) is a British orchestra, based in Glasgow, Scotland. It is one of the five national performing arts companies of Scotland. Throughout its history, the Or ...

Bryden Thomson Bryden Thomson (16 July 1928 – 14 November 1991) was a Scottish conductor remembered especially for his championship of British and Scandinavian composers. His recordings include influential surveys of the orchestral music of Hamilton Harty a ...

, cond. Recorded 17 and 19 April 1990, in the Caird Hall, Dundee. CD recording, stereo. Chandos CHAN 8915. Cassette tape, stereo. Chandos ABTD 1523. Colchester, Essex, England: Chandos, 1991. *Bohuslav Martinů: Symphonies No. 3 and 5. National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Arthur Fagen, cond. Recorded at the National Radio Company of Ukraine, Kiev, March 1995. CD recording, stereo, Naxos 8553350. Hong Kong: Naxos Records, 2002. * Bohuslav Martinů: Symphonies Nos. 1–6.

Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra The Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra (''Symfonický orchestr Českého rozhlasu'', Czech acronym SOČR, English acronym PRSO) is a Czech broadcast orchestra based in Prague, the Czech Republic. The SOČR performs concerts at the Dvořák Hall of th ...

Vladimír Válek Vladimír Válek (born 2 September 1935, in Nový Jičín) is a Czech conductor. He was conductor of the Prague Symphony for 10 years, in which he made his first tours of Europe and the United States He was the Principal Conductor of the Slovak P ...

, cond. Recorded Prague, Czech Radio, Studio A, 2006. 3-CD set. Supraphon SU 3940. Prague: Supraphon, 2008. * Martinů: The 6 Symphonies. BBC Symphony Orchestra, Jiří Bělohlávek. Recorded live at the Barbican Hall, London, 3 October 3 (No. 1) and 9 October (No. 2), 2009; 19 February (No. 4), 19 March (No. 5), 17 April 17 (No. 3), and 8 May (No. 6), 2010. 3-CD set. Onyx 4061. ondon Onyx Classics, 2011.

References

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History

Instrumentation

Analysis

Discography

References

Further reading