Martin Triptychon
Electrifying performances of three of Frank Martin’s finest scores
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Frank Martin
Genre:
Orchestral
Label: ECM New Series
Magazine Review Date: 8/2008
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 0
Mastering:
Stereo
DDD
Catalogue Number: 173 3930

Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
Polyptyque |
Frank Martin, Composer
Christoph Poppen, Conductor Frank Martin, Composer German Radio Philharmonic Orchestra Muriel Cantoreggi, Violin |
Maria-Triptychon |
Frank Martin, Composer
Christoph Poppen, Conductor Frank Martin, Composer German Radio Philharmonic Orchestra Juliane Banse, Soprano |
Passacaglia |
Frank Martin, Composer
Christoph Poppen, Conductor Frank Martin, Composer German Radio Philharmonic Orchestra |
Author: Guy Rickards
There is a link to the Maria-Triptychon (1967-68) through the latter’s finale, a setting of the “Stabat mater dolorosa”. This triptych for soprano, violin and orchestra was written for the husband-and-wife duo of Wolfgang Schneiderhan and Irmgard Seefried, and opens with dovetailed settings of the Ave Maria and Magnificat, the latter forming an impressive, intense climax (ECM does not provide the texts in the booklet). Unlike Polyptyque, however, Maria-Triptychon is a work that needs concentrated listening to secure its full impression.
The Passacaglia Martin wrote in 1944 for organ and orchestrated richly 18 years later has become one of his better-known works. Here, his devotion to Bach’s music is made manifest in sound with organ-like sonorities surviving the transcription and a gripping Busonian power. Poppen directs hugely impressive performances from his excellent soloists and the German Radio Philharmonic (an amalgam of the old Saarbrucken and Kaiserslautern radio orchestras). ECM’s sound is, as usual, crystal clear and superb. A winner.
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