These works have the melodic fluency and musicality that are the birthright of all Czech composers. Bohuslav Martinu (1890-1959) wrote nearly 400 works including 16 operas and 11 ballets.

It seems odd that, with all its excellent qualities, his music has not become more popular than it is. Perhaps the fact that he left Czechoslovakia in 1923 meant that he lost touch with his homeland and his natural audience. He continued to write Czech-style music (the second Concerto contains reminiscences of Czech Christmas music) but this lacked a ready audience in the West. Another factor may have been that the second Cello Concerto had to wait 20 years after it was written before it received its first performance and the Concertino had to wait 25 years. The first Concerto was composed in 1930 and revised in 1939 and again in 1955. It is an impressive work but gives the impression of being worked-over and tampered with too much and some of the material is rather episodic. It was dedicated to the French cellist Pierre Fournier. The second Concerto, composed in 1944/45, is altogether more impressive. The material is more homogeneous and the musical argument clearer and more logical. 

The Concertino was written in 1924 and is an evocation of Parisian life in the 1920s. It is an enjoyable work, accompanied by wind instruments, piano and percussion. All the works are excellently performed by Raphael Wallfisch and the acoustic is very clear and pleasing. The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra retains
its superb qualities.