Hard on the heels of Avie’s premiere recording of Gál’s First Symphony (coupled with Schubert’s Sixth and conducted by Thomas Zehetmair, 8/11) comes – with almost indecent haste – No 3 (1951‑52). Yet curiously, Woods’s Third is the first volume in a Gál symphony cycle: No 2, again under Zehetmair’s direction, will have been released already by the time you read this. It is unclear if he will complete the set but Kenneth Woods will record all four for Avie over the next few years.

The Third Symphony is one of Gál’s more unusual designs, its three movements concealing beneath their conventional-sounding exteriors some thoughtful re‑takes on Classical models, for example the extremes of moods – lyrical, pastoral and passionate – in the opening span, a fine example incidentally of Gál’s innate structural genius. Passion of a different sort informs the final Allegro molto moderato, where the composer’s contrapuntal mastery is once again manifest. In between comes a lovely Andante tranquillo e placido, the perfect foil for the outer movements. Kenneth Woods, who provided exemplary support to Annette-Barbara Vogel in the concertos and Suite (9/10), shows equal sympathy in a committed performance of a work that grows on me with each hearing.

Schumann’s Rhenish provides both effective contrast and context for the tradition Gál was exploring and extending 100 years on. It also provides a surer measure of the quality of the Orchestra of the Swan’s capabilities, especially when compared with any of the many rival accounts in the repertoire. My favourite remains Zinman’s, stronger in profile (compare the opening Lebhaft and the penultimate Feierlich) and with just that much more depth and power. None the less, Woods provides a strong reading and the disc as a whole, with splendid sound, is warmly recommended.