These fine performances have been available previously, and aside from the symphonies, this disc offers perhaps the single most appealing selection of Martinu’s orchestral works. The music covers his entire career, from the early (1929) Roussel-influenced Rhapsody to the neo-Baroque delights of the Sinfonia concertante for two orchestras and the famous Concerto grosso, culminating in the Handelian Overture of 1953 and the gorgeously exotic Parables of 1957. In the latter work, Karel Ancerl with this same orchestra is unmatched and even more vividly recorded (believe it or not), but Jirí Belohláhvek and the Czech Philharmonic certainly give the music all of the character and rhythmic tension it requires, and in all respects this is a top quality release that no lover of this composer can afford to miss. Let’s hope that it remains in the catalog forever.
