The Symphonies
Bohuslav Martinů, Bamberger Symphoniker & Jakub Hrůša
Martinů: The Symphonies is a landmark three-CD box set released on May 15, 2026 via Deutsche Grammophon, presenting the complete cycle of all six symphonies by Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů (1890–1959) performed by the Bamberger Symphoniker under conductor Jakub Hrůša. It marks the first time Deutsche Grammophon has recorded Martinů's symphonies in their catalog — a notable milestone for works that have long been considered among the finest symphonic achievements of the twentieth century yet remain too infrequently heard. All six symphonies were composed during Martinů's years of American exile in the 1940s and early 1950s, encompassing an extraordinary emotional range: poetic lyricism, epic tragedy rooted in the suffering of occupied Czechoslovakia, restless rhythmic energy, and a distinctly Bohemian warmth of color drawn from the composer's folk roots. The partnership between Hrůša and the Bamberg orchestra is a deeply personal one — the Czech conductor has been associated with these works for years and serves as president of the International Martinů Circle — bringing a familial understanding and interpretive authority to the cycle that few conductors could match.
The recordings were made in the Joseph Keilberth Saal in Bamberg, and the sound engineering captures the particular details of Martinů's orchestration with exceptional clarity — most notably the prominent and often unconventional roles given to the piano and harp within the symphonic texture, and the richly characterized woodwind writing, particularly the bassoons. Hrůša's tempos tend toward the brisk and rhythmically incisive, reveling in the jazz-inflected syncopations and driving motor rhythms that give Martinů's middle-period writing its distinctive forward momentum, while never sacrificing the tenderness and luminosity of the slower movements. The Sixth Symphony, the Fantaisies Symphoniques — widely regarded as Martinů's masterpiece and one of the great symphonies of the postwar era — receives a particularly spectacular performance, with the fearsomely complex central movement executed with precision and blazing intensity by every section of the orchestra. The complete set runs just under three hours and stands as one of the most significant classical recording events of 2026.
The Symphonies
Bohuslav Martinů, Bamberger Symphoniker & Jakub Hrůša
Martinů: The Symphonies is a landmark three-CD box set released on May 15, 2026 via Deutsche Grammophon, presenting the complete cycle of all six symphonies by Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů (1890–1959) performed by the Bamberger Symphoniker under conductor Jakub Hrůša. It marks the first time Deutsche Grammophon has recorded Martinů's symphonies in their catalog — a notable milestone for works that have long been considered among the finest symphonic achievements of the twentieth century yet remain too infrequently heard. All six symphonies were composed during Martinů's years of American exile in the 1940s and early 1950s, encompassing an extraordinary emotional range: poetic lyricism, epic tragedy rooted in the suffering of occupied Czechoslovakia, restless rhythmic energy, and a distinctly Bohemian warmth of color drawn from the composer's folk roots. The partnership between Hrůša and the Bamberg orchestra is a deeply personal one — the Czech conductor has been associated with these works for years and serves as president of the International Martinů Circle — bringing a familial understanding and interpretive authority to the cycle that few conductors could match.
The recordings were made in the Joseph Keilberth Saal in Bamberg, and the sound engineering captures the particular details of Martinů's orchestration with exceptional clarity — most notably the prominent and often unconventional roles given to the piano and harp within the symphonic texture, and the richly characterized woodwind writing, particularly the bassoons. Hrůša's tempos tend toward the brisk and rhythmically incisive, reveling in the jazz-inflected syncopations and driving motor rhythms that give Martinů's middle-period writing its distinctive forward momentum, while never sacrificing the tenderness and luminosity of the slower movements. The Sixth Symphony, the Fantaisies Symphoniques — widely regarded as Martinů's masterpiece and one of the great symphonies of the postwar era — receives a particularly spectacular performance, with the fearsomely complex central movement executed with precision and blazing intensity by every section of the orchestra. The complete set runs just under three hours and stands as one of the most significant classical recording events of 2026.