When this disc first appeared on the Marco Polo label in 1989 there were no rival recordings on CD to offer any competition. However‚ 12 years on‚ this budget reissue on Naxos now faces tough competition in the shape of Valéry Polyansky’s complete cycle of Grechaninov’s symphonies on Chandos. Grechaninov’s First Symphony was composed while he was still under the tutelage of Rimsky­Korsakov‚ and the influence of his teacher‚ as well as Borodin and Tchaikovsky‚ are much in evidence throughout. Rimsky­Korsakov’s doubts concerning the symphony’s overall effectiveness may hold some water‚ but on the whole the work contains much attractive‚ memorable music‚ particularly in the bold opening movement and the invigorating scherzo. Richard Edlinger and the George Enescu State Philharmonic Orchestra present us with an affectionate‚ well­crafted performance with plenty of Slavic flavour and character. Polyansky’s on Chandos gives an equally fine account and has perhaps a slight advantage in terms of recorded sound. I must say‚ however‚ there is an infectious enthusiasm in Edlinger’s performance that I find hard to resist. The Second Symphony is also brimful of attractive and engaging ideas‚ though the material in the first movement is a trifle over­worked. Here‚ however‚ the Naxos disc is badly let down by a less than polished account by Johannes Wildner and the Slovak State Philharmonic which I have to say sounds like an ill­prepared run­through. Polyansky on Chandos must be the first choice here. In short‚ if you are happy to restrict your exploration of Grechaninov to a fine performance of the First Symphony then this disc can certainly be recommended. For anything more you need to turn to Polyansky on Chandos‚ whose recordings of all five symphonies (plus other orchestra and choral works) is spread over five full­price discs.