Want something different? This is fantastic. The "cantata" is a church music form, but these are more like children's fairy tales, each with its own atmospheric character and instrumentation. The first even has an accordion, and one has a narrator. The titles give you an idea of the childlike exoticism:

• The Legend of the Smoke from the Potato Tops
• The Opening of the Springs
• Romance of the Dandelions
• Mikeš of the Mountains

This is Martinu in more risk-taking mode (Martinu wrote a ton of music, and in some I feel bothered by his same tropes reappearing, but not here). It's the kind of overlooked music that would usually receive a poor recording on a minor label by dedicated second-string musicians, but I can't imagine anything about this release being more excellent: the playing, the recording, even the packaging and booklet, all created with obvious love.

Album Page