REPRINT SERIES

In 1950, the Musical Arts Society of La Jolla, California, commissioned a work from Martinu that turned out to be his farewell to neoclassicism. The Musical Arts Society had requested a ‘tuneful and approachable’ orchestral work, which could be a challenge in the 1950s. What he delivered was his Sinfonietta La Jolla in A major for piano and chamber orchestra, a work that intricately combines a feeling of California with Martinů’s distinctive melodies, characteristic harmonic progressions, and syncopated rhythms.

The first movement sounds very Czech, yet the piano entrance brings that California optimism that is always so striking. We hear Martinů’s use of ostinato and syncopated melodies through this first movement, but they’re not applied with a heavy hand. Just as we hear in the music of Dvořák, he alternates highly rhythmic material with lyrical themes.

The second movement, Largo–Andante moderato, brings the piano to the fore in a melody that wanders, exploring the different tonalities of Czech music. The orchestra seems to float along, under the piano musings, with occasional voicings by the winds, clarinet, flute, and oboe.

The final movement, Allegro, has both a charm and an ‘economy of melody’ that has most drama than the preceding movements. The woodwinds drive to a brass climax and then falls to begin again. The pianist is less a soloist than an ensemble player here, serving the add high bright sounds when needed. The percussion also drives the sound.