Marvelous Martinů in Prague

Along with a surfeit of holiday music, December in Prague brings Bohuslav Martinů Days, a modest festival that offers a rich tapestry. Top-line Czech orchestras, chamber groups and soloists are recruited to perform a diverse sampling of the composer’s wide-ranging works, with a special focus on seldom heard pieces. This year that included a first rate concert performance of the one act opera Ariadne, with Tomáš Netopil leading the Czech Philharmonic and an outstanding group of singers.

Relatively short (about 45 minutes) Ariadne does not offer a typical narrative. Instead, three scenes highlight key moments in the title character’s turbulent relationship with Theseus: their meeting and falling in love; his confrontation with the Minotaur; and Ariadne’s lament after Theseus leaves her. Martinů also wrote the libretto, drawing on Georges Neveux’s play Le Voyage de Thésée, in which the Minotaur is an alter ego, essentially Theseus confronting himself. There are surreal touches in the music as well, along with Baroque structural elements, though the vibrant and inventive orchestration is modern and entirely Martinů’s own.

Each of the scenes is preceded by a brief orchestral sinfonia which Netopil rendered in warm tones and bright colors, setting a lively pace. More interesting was the accompaniment for the singers, a riot of percussion flavored with dreamlike flourishes of bubbly woodwinds, harp glissandos and ethereal vibes. Netopil eschews a baton, but he might have the most expressive hands in the business, in this case crafting accompaniment so clear and fluid that it was like another voice supporting and backing the singers.

Netopil has previously recorded Ariadne with Simona Šaturová in the title role, and their experience showed in a performance of remarkable depth. Particularly in the emotionally fraught third scene, he gave her room for tender, vulnerable vocals, an outpouring of heartbreak occasionally ascending to sharp coloratura heights. Šaturová brings passion to everything she does, but on this occasion became so wrapped up in Ariadne’s distress that she needed a few moments after the piece ended to compose herself. That level of intensity is rare in a concert performance.

Also turning in strong singing were Peter Kellner as a headstrong Theseus, Richard Samek as his disillusioned friend Bouroun, and Jozef Benci, whose subterranean bass captured both the threat and the mocking nature of the Minotaur. Even with no acting, the dramatic tension in his challenge to a hesitant Theseus – “Deal me a blow! You are scared!” – was palpable.

The evening opened with another marvel of invention, Mozart’s Symphony no. 36 in C major, “Linz”. Even with a chamber-sized version of the orchestra, Netopil was able to give it grand dimensions and a style that bordered on flamboyant, with a steady pulse driving high-impact climaxes. His forte is pumping a piece full of vitality and then dropping it to a whisper, a particularly effective approach in the first and third movements. The slower second movement gave him an opportunity to draw out melodies like gossamer. In a fast-paced finale he returned to the full symphonic sound without losing any of the fine details – in all, a beguiling blend of exuberance and craftsmanship.

Mozart and Martinů may not be obvious bedfellows. But with skillful performances and a very sophisticated level of interpretation, they provided a masterful pairing for an enriching, enlightening evening.