Prior to this 2008 release,
Vladimir Válek had not always delivered particularly exciting performances. His 1980 disc of
Suk's Fairy Tale and Praga was thick and dull, while his 1994 disc of Fibich's overtures and symphonic poems was bland and turgid. But his 2008 set of
Martinu's six symphonies must stand with the most convincing complete cycles of the works. These performances have the luminous colors, buoyant tempos, and tensile strength the music requires, but more significantly, they have a depth and maturity that
Válek's earlier interpretations often lacked. His Fifth's Larghetto has tremendous emotional power, while the tragic sorrow of his Third's central Largo and the blissful joy of his Sixth's closing Lento have rarely been so persuasively expressed. The
Prague Radio Symphony is a tight, responsive ensemble that gives
Válek the alert and energetic playing he asks for, and Supraphon's wide-ranging digital sound captures them in a clear, natural acoustic. While there have been great recordings of individual symphonies from
Karel Ancerl and
Jirí Belohlávek and great complete cycles from
Bryden Thomson and
Arthur Fagen, this cycle should be on the short list for anyone interested in
Martinu's symphonies.