Festive launch of the new volume of the BMCE

Festive launch of the critical edition of String Quartets Nos. 4 – 7 composed during 1937 and 1947 by Bohuslav Martinů will take place on March 6, 2018 at the Bedřich Smetana Museum. It is already the fifth volume of the Bohuslav Martinů Complete Edition which is prepared by the Bohuslav Martinů Institute with the support of the Bohuslav Martinů Foundation and published by Bärenreiter. The event will be moderated by the director of the B. Martinů Institute Aleš Březina, the violinist and composer Pravoslav Kohout will launch the new volume and Martinů Quartet will then perform String Quartet No. 7 (Concerto da camera), H 314.

Bohuslav Martinů (1890 – 1959), who lived and composed most of his life abroad, was one of the few Czech composers of the 20th century whose significance can be measured according to the world standards. His legacy is taken care of by the Bohuslav Martinů Institute whose most important task is currently Bohuslav Martinů Complete Edition, which for the first time makes Martinů's work more accessible by publishing his work in professionally prepared critical editions.

All four volumes that have been published so far are appreciated by professionals, it is worth mentioning the Best Edition Award by the German Music Publishers Association for the Epic of Gilgamesh and positive reviews in the prestigious magazines NOTES and Musikforschung. The critical editions of the compositions are also the basis for new productions of Martinů 's work, which bring them to regular concert life.

Martinů Quartet has a lot of experience with Martinů. The quartet has won a MIDEM prize in Cannes in 2004 for the best CD of the year in the chamber music/solo category – the CD being the second of three NAXOS CDs with Martinů’s seven quartets. It is also a laureate of the ARD Munich (Germany), Evian (France), Yehudi Menuhin (Portsmouth, Britain) and The Prague Spring competitions. The present members of the quartet are Lubomír Havlák (1st violin), Libor Kaňka (2nd violin), Zbyněk Paďourek (viola) and Jitka Vlašánková (cello).

Festive launch of the new volume String Quartets II Nos 4 – 7 will také place on March 6 at 2.00 at the Bedřich Smetana Museum (Novotného lávka 1, Prague). Book your place until March 5 via martinu@martinu.cz.