Without hope of returning to his homeland, a nostalgic exile between Nice and Switzerland, watched and then consumed by a terrible cancer, Bohuslav Martinu wrote extensively throughout the 1950s, but was he ever more moving than in the four small cantatas composed between 1955 and 1959? They overflow with popular music, give a large place to a wonderful pastoral quality, blending naivety and poetry; Martinu invents a surprising arsenal of unique sounds where the piano combines with several instruments, surrounding the choir and solo voices with unprecedented grace. Upon closer examination, the four cantatas form a true ensemble that could be seen as the spiritual testament of their composer, and the new version by Lukas Vasilek, which finally brings them together on a disc, even surpasses the magnificent recording by Pavel Kühn, which had only one flaw: omitting the Romance of the Dandelions. A major advantage of the new release is that it is based on a critical edition that significantly alters the text of the four works, further highlighting their uniqueness. The balance achieved by Lukas Vasilek in the subtle dosages between soloists, choir, and instrumental ensemble produces a more dynamic, and above all more moving, interpretation that captures the disarming lyricism that Martinu infused into them. Come and be amazed (Discophilia - Artalinna.com). (Jean-Charles Hoffelé)