St Ludmilla does not get many performances these days outside the Czech lands. Certainly it is an uneven work. There are some beautiful, lyrical arias, especially in the opening part for the Bohemian princess Ludmilla herself, together with rustic scenes in Dvorák’s most ravishing vein, delighting in the pagan celebration of spring. At the other extreme is some portentous prating by the missionary priest Ivan who converts her, thereby leading Bohemia to Christianity. There is also some splendid choral writing for the concluding mass baptism of the Czech people, Handelian in manner since Dvorák knew this to be to the taste of the massed choirs of the Leeds Festival who commissioned the work and welcomed him to conduct it in 1887. There is certainly a case for hearing it on record, and there have been previous sets.

The new one lacks six numbers, unlike an Orfeo version under Gerd Albrecht, with which it shares an anonymous translation that is some improvement on the original fumbling English attempt. The missing numbers are no crucial loss. Eva Urbanová responds charmingly to the scenes of springtime rejoicing and then, her emotions in turmoil, to the call to Christian belief by the hermit Ivan. His music needs little more than strong, simple warmth, which Peter Mikulás provides. Despite loyal support from her attendant Svatava, excellently sung by Bernarda Fink, Ludmilla is even more confused by the arrival of Borivoj. He is out hunting with his men, but on seeing her declares that he has found more alluring prey. The music is less than ardent and Stanislav Matis has difficulty in making much of it. Ivan intervenes to declare that Borivoj cannot marry Ludmilla unless he becomes a Christian, which the smitten hunter says is just what he had in mind. All ends happily (and dynastically: their grandson was St Václav – Good King Wenceslas) with some splendid choral celebrations at the mass baptism in Velehrad Cathedral, historically the centre of the Christianisation of the Czech people.

The plot, in short, is lame (it was revised so that the work could be staged as an opera in Prague in 1901). Jirí Belohlávek conducts a spirited and persuasive performance for the 2004 Prague Spring concert, and though the recording is not ideally spacious it gives the chorus (including a charming choir of angel children) plenty of chance to shine and there is a good sense of the bright orchestral colours. Whatever its problems, St Ludmilla includes some excellent music, and Dvorák was right to be well pleased with, at any rate, the best of it.