‘Superlatively played and beautifully recorded’ (The Good CD Guide)

‘Martinů at his best. The Three Madrigals are given stunning performances’ (Gramophone)

‘Superb, refined and polished. The sonics are excellent. Schulhoff's music deserves to be better known’ (American Record Guide)

‘Martinů's fluent brand of neo-classicism takes flight in an indispensable (and inexpensive) double-CD set’ (Tower.com)

‘First-class performances and superb recording. An indispensable issue for lovers of Martinů's music’ (The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs)

‘The performances are excellent, without exception. Matoušek has the technique for the worst hurdles, yet preserves an expressive, suave tone for more poetic pages … Hogwood … leads spirited readings in which the Czech Philharmonic reveals the expertise and precision lost after so many members emigrated in the 1990s’ (Fanfare, USA)

‘A splendid voyage of discovery for music lovers. Some of these pieces have been recorded previously, but the playing here is so much better in all respects that we might as well consider these performances to be recording premieres. And if you don't know this music, you are in for a big treat … these performances offer the last word in brilliance and idiomatic style … gorgeously engineered, this fabulous disc only whets the appetite for the remainder of the series’ (Classics Today)

‘Attractive but unfamiliar pieces which few but the most seasoned Martinů fans will already know, in performances that are not only enjoyable in themselves but which whet the appetite for their successors … Christopher Hogwood keeps the music unfolding naturally throughout … everything here shows Martinů's typically festive imagination in full flight’ (International Record Review)

‘Written in Martinů's best 1930s concerto grosso style, its [Duo concertante] three movements are limpidly scored, allowing the flowing, interweaving lines of the soloists to sound to best advantage; as the excellent booklet-notes say, 'an extraordinary musical experience' … this disc is an utter delight from start to finish’ (Gramophone)

‘Like the first issue, his disc is an absolute delight from start to finish, and performances are utterly convincing. Hogwood keeps the music flowing naturally and everything here is a testimony to Martinů's fertile inventiveness. Sound and presentation are of a consistently fine quality’ (Classical.net)

‘Matoušek enjoyes a distinctly concertante approach to the Concerto da camera, only at the appropriate moments stepping into the soloist's role … Matoušek revels in the technical demands of the Czech Rhapsody and caresses its long, flowing melodies with considerable beauty. Karel Košárek is the excellent pianist, and the Czech Philharmonic is well versed in Martinů's personalised tonal qualities. There's immaculately balanced sound with transparency throughout the orchestra’ (The Strad)

‘This disc is superb in every aspect from performance to recording quality, and will really force the listener to re-evaluate Martinů’s place among composers. Very highly recommended’ (Audiophile Audition, USA)