At the turn of August and September 1912, Martinů set two poems by Ludmila Grossmann-Brodská (1859–1935) in Polička, which are linked by the theme of unfulfilled love. The songs Abandoned Sweetheart (Opuštěná milá, H 67) and Once upon a Time (Kdysi, H 69) were written in the space of less than two weeks in Polička. A recording of Once upon a Time was first released by Naxos in 2014 (Martinů: Songs, Vol. 2 – The Months; Jana Wallingerová, Giorgio Koukl).
Jana Burdová, 2024