Martin Bjelik

Rare album from the little known composer Martin Bjelik. From the liner notes: “Consideration of concise, clear form, concentration and ‘interrelatedness’ of the thematic material: in some works, for example, this is presented at the beginning in the form of a melodic 'germ cell', which is then - binding for the entire piece - subjected to various modifications in the course of the musical development. The melodic structures are organised according to the principle of 'recesses'. The formation of 'centres' and their mostly gradual interplay is characteristic of the harmonic-functional sequence.”

“The individual styles: In “Solostück für Violine” (1979), the ‘main idea, a restless sixteenth figuration of motoric character, stands in stark contrast to the elegiac side movement, which is otherwise derived from the first theme and represents a kind of augmentation of it. The repeated succession of these two parts is rondo-like; finally, various waves of intensification lead to a dynamic climax that abruptly breaks off; a final return of the secondary movement forms the calmly fading coda. The “Contours” (1974) have a similar formal structure: In this style for ‘classical’ octet instrumentation, the culmination point (occurring approximately in the middle of the symmetrically arranged work) brings the utmost condensation of the thematic material as well as the superimposition of the two thematic groups.”

“The “Klaviersticke” (1975) placed in between on this LP has a predominantly elegiac, notturno-like mood, with occasional outbursts providing contrasting moments (form: A-B-A-Coda). In this style, as well as in “Music for Orchestra” (1973), the first of the two orchestral works presented here, the aforementioned principle of essentially creating the course of the work from the most diverse variations of an initially defined 'germ motif' was applied to a particular extent. In “Relief” (1976), three thematic groups determine the course of the style: the 'Introduction', a unison theme in the lower strings (whose lines gave the piece its title), is followed by the restlessly moving main movement, which is then broken off by the broadly flowing 'vocal group' (a variant of the unison of the beginning). The sequence of these three elements is rondo-like, but the last appearance of the 'main movement' is reminiscent of a recapitulation, which culminates in the reappearance of the unison motif as the mood increasingly darkens.”