This is the second volume in Hyperion’s set of the complete works for violin and orchestra by Martinu, featuring the wonderful Bohuslav Matoušek with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra under Christopher Hogwood. Many first recordings are included in the series, as well as works totally unperformed outside the Czech Republic.

Included here is the Concerto da camera, a favourite among Martinu’s instrumental concertos because of the freshness of its musical invention, the sensual sound of the orchestral part and the virtuosity of the solo parts.

The joyful Czech Rhapsody is a thrilling virtuoso work, dedicated to Kreisler.

The Concerto for violin, piano and orchestra is an enigmatic and highly personal work, structurally driven by its emotional nature and perhaps echoing the crisis in the composer’s personal life, caused by the sudden breakdown in the summer of 1952 of his long-term relationship with Rosalyn Barstow.

All of the music on this album is also available as part of the specially priced box set Martinů: The complete music for violin and orchestra: ‘Throughout, Bohuslav Matoušek provides dazzling figuration while mining the rich vein of sentiment in such later works as the Concerto for violin and piano and the Rhapsody-Concerto. The recordings are all excellent; with superbly detailed liner notes by Aleš Březina, the whole issue is very recommendable’ (BBC Music Magazine).