This album features works by Swiss composer Frank Martin, showcasing his ability to blend tradition with modern compositional methods. The program includes *Ballade pour flûte et piano* (1939) and *Ballade pour trombone et piano* (1940), highlighting Martin’s skill in writing test pieces for competitions. Both works display a mix of virtuosity and lyrical expression, with jazz-like elements in the flute ballade and a dodecaphonic theme in the trombone ballade.
Also included are the *Huit Préludes pour le piano* (1948), dedicated to Romanian pianist Dinu Lipatti, demonstrating Martin’s command of the French piano idiom with influences from Ravel. The *Etude de lecture* (1966) was composed as a sight-reading test for the Munich International Music Competition, and *Trois Chants de Noël* (1947) offers modern yet atmospheric Christmas music.
The *Sonata da Chiesa* (1938/41), originally for viola d’amore and organ, is presented in its version for flute and organ, blending slow, melancholic movements with a French-inspired dance. This recording reflects Martin’s unique style, which merges elements of French modernism, German late-Romanticism, and a free tonal approach to dodecaphonic technique.
