The most comforting news about these two CDs is that there's nothing special to report save for wonderful music, fine playing and generally excellent sound. Sir Colin's no-nonsense view of Dvorak's late symphonies is already familiar from his Concertgebouw recordings on Philips. There, as here, his manner is fresh, unaffected and consistently respectful towards the letter. Here, as there, the headstrong con fuoco that fans the flames towards the end of the New World's finale (at 10'18'' in this particular recording) is played as written, which means that the closing bars have extra impetus (although the chord that ends the work isn't much of a diminuendo). True, Dvorak sanctioned the broadening later on, but I stand fast by his first thoughts: they work so much better.
Of the two performances, the Eighth is the more compelling. Davis charts a natural course from one episode to the next, never gilding the lily with excessively 'loving' ritardandos, though the third movement - taken at a broad pace - is unusually reflective. I love the skipping string portamento at 6'40'' into the coda, and the sparkly closing bars that follow. The Adagio enjoys weighty string lines and doleful woodwinds (with little hint of the virtual-reality birdsong as conjured by Harnoncourt) and the finale's evocative 'winding down' is beautifully gauged.
The New World includes its first-movement exposition repeat and benefits from Christine Pendrill's eloquent cor anglais solo in the Largo. I still rather prefer the more refined Concertgebouw option, although the LSO has the edge for expressive flexibility, and the new recording is stronger on presence. Woodwinds are a little recessed (especially in the Eighth) and the New World's finale witnesses a stinging after-burn on certain timpani notes. Otherwise, the engineering is notably appreciative of the LSO strings, which have rarely sounded this good on disc since their heyday in the 1960s. What's more, few seats at the Barbican offer a finer sampling of the hall's best acoustical properties.
These are, of course, taped live concerts, though I would imagine that portions of recorded rehearsal were on standby to cover the odd blooper. It's a pity that the two performances were just too long for a single CD. Had they shared the one disc, this first LSO CD release would have been a digital bargain without equal. But, at a tenner or so, Davis faces significant budget-price CD competition from his earlier self (on Philips Duo, with the Seventh Symphony and Symphonic Variations added) and from Witold Rowicki with the same orchestra (last three symphonies plus the 10 Legends under Raymond Leppard). Still, neither older option is digital and Davis in London remains an eminently satisfying Dvorakian. Recommended.'