Bohuslav Martinu

Incantation H 358 - Fantasia Concertante B-Dur H 366

'Incarnation' (1956), Bohuslav Martinu's fourth piano concerto, follows an atypical two-movement structure. It was composed for Martinu's friend Rudolf Firkušný, who played from a copy of the autograph until 1970, when the composition was first put into print. The next work, 'Concerto in B flat major for Piano and Orchestra', known under the name 'Fantasia Concertante', was to be Martinu's very last concert work. The concerto in three movements, composed at the request of Swiss pianist Margrit Weber, is quite different from the previous work in terms of its compositional means. In this case, Martinu strongly influenced the edition of the work.

The present volume of the Complete Edition of works by Bohuslav Martinu is based mainly on contemporary copies containing the composer's own modifications. The edition presents numerous new findings about the genesis of both works.