This is an intriguing programme. Though one might initially think that it is simply inspired by the juxtaposition of the composers´ names, in fact they are both born in 1890 and their careers were both singular enough to make a comparison of their work a project of considerable interest.
Martin´s Mass has gone from a work hardly performed to a stable of the choral repertoire, and justly so: it is a composition of tremendous luminosity and great variety. This performance is not the most engaging I have heard – for that one would need The Sixteen, Westminster Cathedral Choir or the Vasari Singers – but the choral sound is rich and warm. There is something a little perfunctory, for example, about the Kyrie, and especially the Christie, which sounds rushed, but the choir´s response to the later movements of the work is deeply affecting.
In any case, the rest of the disc is greatly impressive. Martin´s wonderful Songs of Ariel are given a virtuoso rendition that brings out every nuance and are alone worth the price of the disc. But the addition of the choral works by Martinú creates a wholly unusual and effective balance in the programming. The Four Songs of the Virgen Mary are works of tremendous subtlety, and beautifully sing: while are peaks of the Czech choral repertoire, I do hope performances by non-Czech choirs, especially of this standard, will bring these works into greater international circulation. The Romance of the Dandelion is also a thing of beauty, and while possibly more difficult to programme, if you have a soprano like Klaudia Kidon, you are surely guaranteed success. Ivan Moody, Gramophone, June issue 2017