Robert Craft’s best rostrum work involves relatively small forces and transparent textures, such as the Octet, which is here given a crisp, dapper performance, biting where needs be and bursting with life. Musical line and clear projection are invariable Craft priorities and both in the Octet and in the post-Baroque Dumbarton Oaks Concerto the pulse is kept moving and the musical journey is always clearly directed with generally superb execution from the New York players. All these selections were previously available either on Koch (ie the symphonies) or on MusicMasters, the latter a label that Craft had been associated with for some while. An earlier Craft-led MM version of the Symphony in Three Movements (from 1991) is marginally swifter than this 1999 Philharmonia remake, leaner too with a sharper edge (notably from the brass) but I especially liked the finale on the new version with the incisive snap of woodwinds against eerily winding strings at around 1'24", though there are some slightly blurred details earlier on (ie at around 7'54" into the first movement). I still tend to favour Boulez’s Berlin recording (DG, 4/00) which bristles in a unique way, but I prefer Craft in the finale. The tighter, more astringent language of the Symphony in C suits Craft better, though the outer movements occasionally sound rushed.

“Pressing but never impatient” is how I described Sir Simon Rattle’s Berlin account of the Symphony in C (EMI, 8/08), which has impressive weight and momentum to it whereas Craft’s approach is all animation and nervous energy. As ever with him, there’s the feeling that the mind in charge knows exactly what this music is about, and with generally excellent sound makes for a thoroughly reliable programme, while in the case of the two chamber works the effect is decidedly impressive. Needless to say, Craft’s own programme-notes are a mine of relevant information.