New book on Bohuslav Martinů by Patrick Lambert is out!

New book MARTINŮ IN HIS TIME - THE RECORDED LEGACY: A Biographical Survey of the Early Recordings by Patrick Lambert has been published (in English). This thoroughly-researched survey of the early recordings of Bohuslav Martinů’s serves not only as a catalogue for those interested in the recorded legacy, but also as a source of biographical detail, much of which has previously been inaccessible to English readers. Recordings, often of historical importance, are placed in the context of the composer´s life and career. The study is divided into five chapters, beginning with the pre-war period in Paris where the first recordings were made.

The book was published by the Bohuslav Martinů Institute and supervised by editors Pavel Žůrek and Martin Ledvinka, with kind support from the Bohuslav Martinů Foundation. 

What I appreciate most is an insightful view of a internationally-renowned expert on the work of a Czech composer, taken from the natural distance it was being created at. Yet the author provides a full and excellent reconstruction, and explains details of Bohuslav Martinů´s life that even local musicologists sometimes find difficult to grasp, for instance the politically-motivated turnover in the Czechoslovak critics´ perception on the work of Martinů that occurred around the tumultuous February 1948.
Martin Flašar, January 2016

In sum, this is a critically important publication by an excellent writer and thinker. It provides a real model for how to present information about music and musicians to a broad audience, while at the same time fulfilling all the expectations of more scholarly work. Lambert’s work uses recordings to illuminate the composer in a new way that both deeply thoughtful and a genuine pleasure to read.
Michael Beckerman, January 2016

The Institute has only occasionally ventured into publishing, but I hope it will continue to sponsor, encourage, assist with, and publish important work such as this study by Patrick Lambert. It is a supremely well-written and fully documented text that fills a large gap in the study of Martinů’s music.  
Robert Simon, January 2016

The book is already available for purchase on our e-shop. The whole review by Michael Beckerman on this book will be published in the next issue of the Martinů Revue.