An excerpt from an opera that Rudolf Firkušný used to perform at his recitals. In the booklet of the CD of Martinů's piano pieces recorded for the RCA label in June 1988, his recollection of how this piece came into his repertoire was published:
“Julietta is a dreamy scene from his opera – a dialogue between two old people and a souvenir vendor, with only piano accompaniment. When I heard the premiere of the opera in Prague (March 16, 1938) I was so deeply affected by this particular scene that I asked Martinů’s permission to perform it as a solo piano piece, to which he gladly agreed. As war refugees in New York three years later, where we had arrived practically empty-handed, I often played Julietta for him from memory (neither of us had the score), and I know how much this work meant to him.”
Rudolf Firkušný. Piano Sonata No.1 (Les Ritournelles / Fantaisie Et Toccata). RCA Victor Red Seal, 1989.