Bohuslav Martinů: Oboe Concerto
Oboe Concerto, H. 353
Bohuslav Martinů (1890-1959)
solo oboe, 2 flutes, 2 clarinets, bassoon, 2 horns, trumpet, piano, strings
Composed 1955. First performance: August 1956, Sydney, Australia. Jiří Tancibudek, oboe. Sydney Symphony Orchestra cond. Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt.
I. Moderato
II. Poco andante
III. Poco allegro
The Oboe Concerto, Martinů’s only solo woodwind concerto, was composed for Jiří Tancibudek, a Czech oboist who fled to Australia after the Communist takeover. Like the Sinfonietta La Jolla, this is a three-movement work prominently featuring the piano in the orchestra.
This is a lyrical piece in which moments of agitation or anxiety on the part of the soloist or orchestra are always coaxed back into joy by the other musicians. The influence of Stravinsky and the jazz of Martinů’s adopted homeland is apparent, especially in the first movement, but in the finale, he returns to Bohemia with a dance that Tancibudek likened to a Czech polka.
In discussing this piece, the oboist said, “the sparkling rhythmical vitality with lots of syncopations, the simple but most original and kaleidoscopic harmonic textures with touches of bitonality and polytonality always resolved, and the fresh, highly personal and colorful instrumentation were the characteristic elements of Martinů’s music which I always found so appealing.”
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