The luscious, intricately scored pages of the bighearted Fourth Symphony sound opulent in this recording. For the most part, the playing is glorious, intoxicating in its richness and sure-footed poise. But there's some lack of intensity and temperament, so, for a more considered Belohlávek account, look to his more recent Supraphon disc, reviewed above.
His performance of the Field Mass, on the other hand, is an undoubted success. It's wonderfully fervent, boasting a noble-toned, impassioned contribution from the baritone, Ivan Kusnjer, and disciplined, sonorous work from the men of the Czech Philharmonic Chorus. Chandos's recording captures it all to perfection: blend and focus impeccably combined. The moving Memorialto Lidice completes this ideally chosen triptych.
Bearing a dedication 'To the Memory of the Innocent Victims of Lidice', Martinu's score was written in response to the destruction of that village by the Nazis in June 1942. One of the composer's most deeply felt creations, this is an eightminute orchestral essay of slumbering power, incorporating at its climax a spine-chilling quotation from Beethoven's Fifth. It, too, receives sensitive advocacy here.