Ranging from 1927 to 1959, the year of Martinu’s death, these four works reveal
his unceasing versatility in chamber repertoire. La revue de cuisine, heard here
in a recent reconstruction of the original complete score, is a supreme example
of Martinu’s jazz style. In Les rondes he evokes his Moravian folk heritage. The
Harpsichord Concerto is resourcefully scored and brilliantly crafted, whilst Chamber
Music No. 1 (‘Les fêtes nocturnes’), one of his last works, sees no cessation of his
invention nor of his delight in atmospheric colour. This disc catches the composer in
the full flood of fluency and the four works are uniquely coupled in our disc.