It’s clear that Augustin Dumay has a close rapport with his Japanese orchestra. Throughout the Serenade the players shape the music in the most convincing way, and to maximum expressive effect. It’s a mellow account of the Brahms, though there are one or two surprises, such as the rollicking tempo at the start of the finale. In this movement, and often elsewhere, Dumay is prepared to slacken the speed to allow cantabile melodies to expand. In most cases this is accomplished successfully but the first of the two scherzos, unusually slow to begin with, becomes positively drowsy at one point, and even when the Trio picks up speed, it still sounds ponderous. A comparison with Robin Ticciati’s SACD recording reveals a firmer control over tempo while still providing room for expressive playing. However, many listeners will feel that Dumay’s more spacious account of the Adagio displays a profundity that anticipates the great slow symphonic movements Brahms was to write later.

Dumay has in abundance the presence and tone to communicate the lyrical qualities of the two Romances. The F major work (Op 50) is, I think, strikingly successful in the way soloist and orchestra react. However, the Romance in G (Op 40) seems to me too slow for a classical Andante: the most revealing comparison here is with Thomas Zehetmair, whose timing is over two minutes shorter yet who still has time to shape his lines with elegance and feeling. Throughout the disc, though, it’s the conviction and expressive quality of the playing that make the strongest impression.