Search - Martinu, Jilek, Bmo Philharmonic :: Romance of the Dandelions

Thi is a proof that modern music need not be unbearable

Tomas Cvrcek | Central, SC, USA | 12/06/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Martinu counts as one of the most important composers of the first half of the century. He was a bit of a globetrotter but every now and then he would go back to his roots, to his childhood in West Moravian Highlands. This ballet is no exception. It was in fact written for children - it is a string of popular East-European fairy tales. It overflows with motives from traditional Bohemian and Moravian folk music which makes it all very poetic and pleasant to listen to. Modern clasical music is usually considered very difficult to listen to but with this particular piece of Martinu, you may be inclined to change your view - this piece is perhaps a little bit like Orff's Carmina Burana but not as dark and demonic as Orff."