The Linos Ensemble give delightful performances here of two of Dvorak’s most attractive chamber works. They contrast with the various Czech groups who have recorded them chiefly in the greater richness of their sound, with, in the Serenade, a warmth and depth that lacks some of the raw freshness that is typical of Czech woodwind and horn playing but that has its own strong appeal. In a sense, this is more romantic playing, and it is part of their style that they should indulge in a great flexibility of rubato. This is never overdone and therefore sentimental, nor out of style, and it is used to lively effect in, for instance, the swerves between the two Czech dances that make up the so-called Minuet and Trio, and with a subtle expressive colouring of the long melodic lines of the Andante.
This same flexibility marks the Quintet, as at the start when the players move the music forward into the main tempo of the Allegro con fuoco, and again in the Scherzo. They include the beautiful “Intermezzo”, a nocturne Dvorak marked Andante religioso and removed from the work when it first came to be published. It found a home as a piece for string orchestra, but it works well as a slow movement between the opening Allegro con fuoco and the Scherzo. This is again a rich, flexible performance, very well recorded to respond to Dvorak’s warm textures and bright rhythms.'