In the history of music, Josef Bohuslav Foerster (1859–1951) is particularly known for his friendship with Gustav Mahler during their time together in Hamburg. A close artistic relationship developed between Mahler and Foerster. Foerster and his wife Berta Lautererová moved to Vienna with Mahler in 1903 and only returned to Prague in 1918. As director of the Conservatoire and a university lecturer in Prague, later President of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Art and his recognition as a National Artist in 1945, Foerster was one of the most prominent figures in his country.

The immense musical output of this most gifted artist awaits rediscovery. Following the new publication of Foerster’s 1st and 2nd Symphonies by Editio Bärenreiter Praha in 2007, and their recording by the Osnabrück Symphony Orchestra (on the MDG label, which has recorded the 3rd and 4th Symphonies), the late Concerto for Cello and Orchestra of 1930/31 is now being published. The work was recorded by Jirí Bárta and the Prague Chamber Philharmonic under Jakub Hrusa for Supraphon in January.

Together with Janáček, Suk and Novák, Foerster belongs to the generation of Czech national artists who successfully made the transition into the 20th century. His style continued to owe a great deal to the musical language of late Romanticism – noble, melodic and brilliant in his first mature works of 1890 to 1910, whilst later more introverted and lyrical.

The Cello Concerto dates from 1930/31. A central movement of continuous cantabile in the solo cello is framed by a more moderate opening movement, which begins with the dark tones of horns and trombones, and a dance-like closing movement which returns at its conclusion to the rapturous cantilena of the beginning. Whilst the first movement develops its subject matter in a concentrated interaction with the orchestra, in the second, the solo cello is continually in the foreground with the melodic line and forms the intensive, lyrical focal point of the work.

Marie Luise Maintz
(translation: Elizabeth Robinson)
from: [t]akte 1/2009