Karel Reiner (1910–79) – a lost voice in Czech music – suffered under both the major tyrannies of twentieth-century Europe: he was imprisoned in Terezín and other concentration camps, including Auschwitz, but survived them all, only to have his music banned when he dared to criticise the Czechoslovak Communists after the War.

His Cello Concerto, recorded here for the first time, and in its world premiere performance, was written as an act of defiance under Nazi occupation, his last piece before he was deported: it was scored for a large orchestra when there was no chance of a performance. The most important Czech cello concerto after Dvořák's, it is a large and powerful piece, audibly in the Czech tradition.

The three chamber works on the CD – all also first recordings – reveal a mildly modernist voice, influenced by Martinů and Stravinsky.

This is Toccata Classics’ first SACD recording.