Evgeni Svetlanov spent his last years guest-conducting, having been unceremoniously removed from the post-Soviet equivalent of the USSR State Symphony Orchestra. Whether it was boorishness, political incorrectness or excessive drinking that cost him his job, he was a true patriot who spent much of his studio time recording an archive of Russian-Soviet classics, only part of which has so far reached us. At times the man’s conducting could be somnambulistic, and yet, as demonstrated by this performance of Lyapunov’s Second Symphony, he could pull out all the stops for the music he loved.

Svetlanov himself gave the belated Russian première in 1951 of this large-scale work, composed amid the chaos of revolution. Its release now should catch the eye of anyone who enjoyed the composer’s First Symphony (Chandos, 8/02) or his piano concertos (Hyperion, 3/03). The fairy-tale manner has soured a little, but the score, plainly indebted to Liszt’s Faust Symphony, still ploughs a 19th-century, cyclical furrow. There are four big movements. Even the evocative Adagio outstays its welcome although it starts wonderfully and before long is setting sail on a great, cinematic swell of string tone. The radio tape is acceptable rather than sonically top notch and there are the inevitable noises off. To judge from the ecstatic applause, the audience loved it and maybe you will, too. What it lacks is first-class melodic invention.

With Lyapunov’s finale in particular sounding like recycled Borodin, it is as well to be reminded of the freshness of the real thing. CDK has licensed Melodiya versions of the symphonies that showcase conductor and orchestra in tiptop condition – not their lethargic RCA retreads of the early 1990s. The First Symphony is more bullish than usual but its sense of engagement is irresistible. The Second seems more bitty, occasionally overblown. Unfortunately my review copy had a pressing fault seven minutes into the slow movement. So try before you buy if possible. Gems from the old Melodiya catalogue are popping up all over the place if you know where to look.