One of the most typical Neo-Classical works by Bohuslav Martinů is Serenade for Chamber Orchestra. It manifests Martinů’s compositional maturity in the early 1930s and at the same time pays homage to his Paris teacher and friend Albert Roussel, to whom it is dedicated. The admiration Martinů felt for his teacher is expressed in his statement published in 1937 in an article in La Revue Musicale: “...All I came to seek in Paris I found in him, and on top of that his friendship was always the most valuable support for me. I came to him to look for order, transparency, proportion, taste, and clear, precise emotional expression - the qualities of French art which I have always admired and wanted to learn in the most intimate way. The great artist he was, he had all these qualities and he provided them generously with his knowledge in a simple and very natural way...” Roussel, on the other hand, praised Martinů’s composition profusely, stating after the premi re of the Serenade the following: “Ma gloire, ca seka Martinů”. (Martinů will be my fame.) Its first performance, which took place in 1931 with the orchestra of Walter Straram, met with exceptional public success. The four short movements are by their character an imitation of the miniature symphony form of Classicism, and their openly capricious mood corresponds with the period atmosphere of the actual serenade. All three movements also feature a concerto element, which Martinů was evidently fond of until the 1940s. Here it is expressed by the alternation of two groups of instruments in the style of the concerto grosso, and above all the use of two concerto violins. Despite polytonality and frequent contrapuntal composition, the Serenade attracts attention through its lightness and playful melodic inventiveness. The perfect instrumentation guarantees the colorful sound which reaches remarkable gayness in the twelve-minute composition. It is a truly representative work of this period and the result of Martinů’s intensive studies during the preceding years.
Jana Honzíková and Sandra Bergmannová, programme of the Bohuslav Martinů Festival's concert, 10. 12. 1999