The sea fantasy, Ruyana (Rujana, H 100), derives its name from the Slavic form of the German name Rügen, which refers to the largest German island located in the Baltic Sea. From 1815, when it became part of Prussia, seaside resorts were established here and it became Germany's most famous holiday destination until the Second World War.
The composition was written in Borová in 1916, where Martinů visited the evangelical pastor Vladimír Čech and his nieces. One of them, Lydia Čechová, notes in her memoirs: "My sister-in-law [Gabriela Čechová] also sometimes improvised, played marvellous fantasies, stormed at the piano with deep and high notes representing the stormy sea. Martinů sat by and listened quietly. So she reminisced at the piano about her stay by the sea in Rügen; she imitated the roar of the sea and the quiet splash of the water. Martinů then wrote the composition 'Rujana' and probably dedicated it to her. [...]."
A recording of the piece was first released by Naxos in 2007 (Martinů: Complete Piano Music, Vol. 4 – Seven Czech Dances; Giorgio Koukl).
Jana Burdová, 2024