Czech Philharmonic ⬩ Cristian Măcelaru

When Martinů immigrated to the USA in 1941 to escape Nazism, he was already an established artist, but the list of his works contained no symphonies. He mentioned to his friend, the conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Serge Koussevitzky, that he would like to write something for his orchestra. A commission arrived immediately, and the work was already premiered in Boston the following year.

“The First Symphony shows that Martinů was already a highly experienced, mature composer. His word was something to be taken seriously, and many conductors have commented on the work in these terms,” says the Czech Philharmonic’s principal guest conductor Jakub Hrůša about the standing of Martinů, who was 52 years old at the time.

Two years after Martinů’s death, Wynton Marsalis was born in the USA. The son of a pianist and of a singer, he attributes his ability to combine jazz and classical music to having grown up in Louisiana, among other things. According to Marsalis, jazz is liberating, but it is also very non-individualistic. “We will elevate you. Let me share my space with you. Let me be quiet and let you talk. Let me leave space for your soul.”

Marsalis goes even further in discussing the nature of jazz and how it relates to the world. “Jazz is a metaphor for democracy. My first question in my jazz classes is always, 'What does the United States Constitution do?” As he conceives it, musical improvisation symbolises personal freedom, but also the overcoming of challenges.

“When everybody starts to improvise, it sounds like noise. So then, we have something called swing. Swing is organizing rhythm and it’s a principle. It means now it’s on you, and you have the responsibility to achieve balance. That means how loud you play, how long you solo, how acute you are about other members of the group. You have to know the arrangement, you have to know the chord progressions. Blues is a resilience and an optimism that’s not naive. Jazz teaches us to decide and to differentiate between what seems to be the same but isn’t”, says the American trumpet player and composer.

Marsalis has written a book about the relationship between jazz, personal development, and the community. Its subtitle says it all: How Jazz Can Change Your Life.