However uncompromising its moral and ideological outlook, the self-evident musical distinction of Shostakovich’s Fourteenth Symphony at once attracted the attention of recording teams East and West. Not all those early classics from the likes of Barshai, Ormandy, Gosman, Kondrashin, Rostropovich, Haitink and Bernstein are readily available in physical format but the good news is that Vasily Petrenko’s new disc, the penultimate instalment of his Naxos cycle, is up there with the best of them. I would not want to be without Rostropovich’s maximally emotive 1973 version with Galina Vishnevskaya and Mark Reshetin (last sighted on Warner Classics) yet Petrenko’s tighter, more direct manner has valid Soviet precedents of its own. The rhythmic precision of what sounds like a relatively small body of Liverpool strings is quite something and the high-voltage sense of forward movement is maintained throughout. The downside is that the snap and crackle of youthful enthusiasm occasionally seems to edge out deeper sentiments in the less physically demonstrative songs.

There is no coupling but with bold sound and detailed booklet-notes this would be a thrilling investment at any price. The texts are helpfully transliterated and we are not expected to rootle around for the translations online. Let’s not forget the singers’ fresh-sounding contribution. Alexander Vinogradov, oddly credited as a baritone, is one of those Russian basses whose rich, sepulchral tones, easily produced, belie a boyish frame. He can also be heard on Delphian’s Rachmaninov song compendium (reviewed last month). Gal James was a late stand-in. Even if her voice might be thought a tad undersized, she throws herself into the proceedings with striking commitment. Strongly recommended.