Martinu Symphony Cycle: Martinu No. 5

Jirí Belohlávek and his Czech Philharmonic embarked on the ambitious project of recording the complete Martinu symphonies at the visually and acoustically spectacular Rudolfinum Prague, starting with Nos. 1 and 4. After the death of Belohlávek, his pupil Jakub Hruša took over the project, completing the cycle with Symphony No 5. Praised for his “passionate, thrilling” way of conducting his ‘all-Czech’ BBC Proms concert by the NYT, Hruša is uniquely qualified to face the task of performing the works of Martinu, who is deemed the greatest Czech composer of his generation.