Little Dance Suite (Malá taneční suita), written at the end of October 1919, is Bohuslav Martinů’s first multi-movement orchestral work. It is the nearest thing in his early works to a symphony; indeed, at over 40 minutes' duration, it is longer than any of the six symphonies he was later to write. The Suite jettisons all traces of Impressionism (which is noticeable in his earlier orchestral works), replacing them with a direct and unaffected lyricism. It employs vigorous rhythmic patterns and a far less fussy (though nonetheless alluring) approach to orchestration. The composition had to wait over forty years for its first complete performance. Like Nocturno 1, it was broadcast on Brno Radio in 1963, but sadly that recording does not survive.
The first preserved recording was made between December 19 and 21, 2012, at the Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio in Warsaw. It was released in 2013 by Toccata Classics in London.
Michael Crump, Martinů: Early Orchestral Works, Volume One, London: Toccata Classics, 2013.