The Elegy for Violin and Piano with its subtitle “Evil Returns”, is, then, one of Bohuslav Martinů's very first compositions. This single movement threnody of relaxed formal construction may doubtlessly be regarded as his first substantial work. Throughout the piece, the thematic material is simply exposed without subsequent development. As in the other early works for this setting, the piano part is considerably more taxing than that of the violin, the second of which serves primarily as a vehicle for the melodic material, whilst the piano provides the elements of harmony and rhythm. The Elegy differs considerably from Martinů's later works, particularly in terms of its relentless dramaticism; his later works rather display the qualities of moderate restraint (mesure) and discipline. In the Elegy we already find, however, a preponderance of those third and second intervals that are also a feature of his later works.
Aleš Březina, Martinů: Works for Violin and Piano, © 1999 Supraphon Music a.s