Vaclav Neumann's way with early Dvorak is hardly a coaxing one, and indeed his forceful directness in the first movement of the Fourth Symphony brings an even stronger thrust than on his 1975 analogue LP version. On CD the timing is 10'00'' against 11'50'' previously, with the exposition repeat omitted on both occasions. His approach is not helped by the rather stark acoustic. Everything is clear and faithfully detailed, but there is a noticeable dryness of string timbre. Thus the Andante sostenuto is made to sound somewhat severe and the Wagnerian quote (from Tannhauser—whether intentional or unconscious) sounds relatively unexpansive. Similarly, in the Sixth Symphony where the sound is bright (slightly fierce in tuttis with an unexpansive middle range), the Brahmsian influence is diluted by the lack of glowing warmth in the strings, Neumann is at his best in the latter movements of each work, where the crisp rhythmic energy of the playing is most effective. The Scherzo of the Fourth sounds like a miniature symphonic poem (with strong associations with Liszt's Mazeppa) and comes off splendidly; the Furiant Scherzo of the Sixth is extremely vivacious. But elsewhere the lack of amiable qualities in the interpretations is a handicap. No couplings are offered and Symphony No. 4 only plays for 38'30''.'